Trading Season
by Meeksmonk
Summary: In a world where men choose their own imprints, competition is thriving. But what happens when an outsider receives a number of offers? What are the women of the La Push community forced to do? Rated M for sexual situations and non-sexual violence.
1. Prologue

La Push is a thriving community.

It is full of sunny beaches, bikini-clad girls, and half naked, caramel-skinned young men.

But underneath all of the sun there lies something darker, something a little more iniquitous than just werewolves and vampires…

* * *

XXX

He couldn't believe it. They were serious.

At twenty one years old, the time had finally come for him to choose.

And he couldn't care less.

As resident stud of La Push, Paul Lahote couldn't ever imagine having to choose an imprint. He knew that his father wanted more for him. He wanted him to find "the one", in other words, the woman who would force him to settle down. But what twenty-one-year-old in his right mind would want to settle down? He had the rest of his life to settle down – an extended one after all, due to his werewolf status – and his dad wanted him to find someone at twenty one? _Bullshit._

He still had one more year of college. Why couldn't he be forced to do it then? Of course he could only go to Port Angeles Community College, but he was sure there'd be a crap load of women so sad to learn that they would no longer be able to experience the Paul-Fuck-Awesome-Lahote joyride. Yet, his father and the council wanted him to find his imprint the summer before his last year. How did that make sense? Is it because the imprint is supposed to be someone within the La Push community? Paul had a feeling that it was because the council wanted the guys to have all of their "fun" with all of the lovely, exotic women in college before they had to come home and choose a native girl to marry. _Bullshit. _He's been with the majority of the natives anyway.

But see, that's where the other problem lied. Even if Paul did want to settle down, all of the La Push women knew that they were in competition with one another. Though Paul knew he was irresistible, he wasn't fooled. He was very aware that the main reason half these women put themselves out so often was because they wanted to be linked to him or to one of his pack brothers for the rest of their lives. Of course, they didn't know what they would be getting themselves in to. They didn't know that the men they were so shamelessly chasing were men who regularly turned into wolves. HA. What a shock that'll be for the chosen ones.

In La Push, the council was royalty. Everyone wanted to be connected to the members. Not only were they extremely well respected, but they had decades' worth of money locked up in the council fund. In other words, they were filthy rich. And by association, so were the wolves. Each wolf had a relative on the council. For some reason, the members believed it was okay to allow the whole community to know when the wolf trade would open. Or, rather, when the men would be looking for their future brides. This felt like some Eddie Murphy, _Coming to America _shit to Paul. It was weird enough before his twenty-first birthday when all the girls would constantly bug him and his brothers. He definitely wasn't complaining then.

But now that they've turned twenty one, it's like all of the crazies have been let loose.

There was this one girl, Emily. Once she realized she couldn't get her hooks into her cousin's boyfriend and current alpha of the pack, Sam Uley, she moved on to the rest of the guys. Namely, Paul. But he wasn't having any of that. She was cute, but she was just too damn…prissy. Besides, Paul liked a feisty woman, not a sneaky trollop that would go after her best friend's man. But, speaking of feisty women, there was one in particular Paul had always had his eye on…

Now Paul would never admit this out loud, but if there were any woman that he would choose to end up with for more than a couple of nights, it would be his favorite leech lover, Bella Swan. Now, her? He could work with her. Whenever he saw her, he just wanted to break into his very own rendition of "Let Me Love You Down" by Ready for the World. Yes, she was a little older than him, just completing her first year in graduate school. But damn it if he couldn't love her as well as guys her age could.

Don't get Paul wrong though. He definitely doubted her sanity for a while a long time ago when she was a senior in high school. He could never understand why someone as hot as her would ever date a leech. He didn't even want to think about what they did for fun. Edwin, Eli, Ezekiel or whatever probably made her watch as he sucked the blood of the closest deer while listening to Beethoven. Anyway, after she got rid of the vamp and began hanging with little ole Jacob Black, Paul couldn't get her out of his head. At first, it was probably because Jake couldn't get her out of his head and of course, due to their wonderful mind link, Paul was stuck with Jacob's thoughts. But eventually, the little swan got to Paul. She was just so much fun to mess with. A spit fire, too. She gave it back to him as good as he dished it to her. He loved that. And he still does. Every time she came back from school, the hot-headed wolf got a case of the chills. It took _a lot_ for that to happen. He's hinted at the possibility of them going out for a little fun but he's been shot down quite a number of times over the years. Five and a half years, to be exact. Five and a half fucking years. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. Shit, he was Paul. _Paul_.

He'll wear her down though. That'll take some work, but it'll happen eventually. But, there was just one problem. A problem that came in the form of Jacob Black. As far as Paul was concerned, Jake and Bella were only friends but the kid wouldn't leave her side for a second, especially when she came home from a long bid at school. What was worse was that he had a girlfriend. She was a cute girl but apparently not enough to keep Jake's attention fully on her.

The majority of the women of La Push were in a hurry to snag one of the guys, especially the most eligible ones (according to Paul): Jake, the future chief, and Paul, the…well, just Paul. A good portion of the ladies were willing to betray their closest friends just to get a chance. Little did they know that these guys weren't very concerned with them. They were too interested in a little outsider by the name of Bella Swan. And Paul Lahote was willing to do whatever it took to claim her…at least for now.

Let the games begin.


	2. Prologue, Continued

**Prologue, Continued**

"Bells!"

That was the first thing she heard before she even stepped out of her truck. She loved that sound. It was the sound of home.

She never imagined that she would be so willing to call Forks home, but after moving in with Charlie at seventeen, she couldn't picture being happier anywhere else.

Charlie and her mother, Renee, met on First Beach when they were sixteen. After a two-year courtship, Renee ended up getting pregnant. The two lovebirds were shocked and scared, but also determined to make it work. There was just one problem.

Renee was black.

Charlie's parents were fine with that. They loved Renee. They weren't exactly happy about the pregnancy but they were willing to support the kids through this time. So were Renee's parents. But, not everyone was so accepting. Twenty-three years ago, racism was still rampant, especially in La Push. Charlie and Renee had many friends in the community, but there were also a significant number of people that could not stand to see Charlie and Renee together, especially in their community. As a pale face, Charlie had it rough enough whenever he crossed the border of Forks and La Push, but armed with a black girlfriend, he couldn't escape the criticism. Still, Charlie and Renee worked it out enough to get married. They had their wedding on the beach with their friends and family. Unfortunately, they had to deal with animosity and unruly, uninvited guests as well. But all that mattered was that they loved each other.

Alas, love turned out not to be enough. One day, as Renee walked to pick Bella up from school, she was attacked by a number of residents of the La Push and Forks communities. Though the people in these two communities typically did not get along, they agreed on one thing: a black woman did not belong on either side, especially with one of Forks' white police officers. And after that experience, Renee couldn't agree more. So after Charlie nursed her back to health, she packed up her and Bella's things and made a beeline for New York. Though Charlie was extremely hurt by her decision, he understood. Renee never kept Bella away from him and allowed her to visit every summer since she was six years old. Every time Renee dropped her off, Bella could see the hope flash in Charlie's eyes. He always sounded a lot happier in person than over the phone, especially when Renee would spend time with him, Billy, Sarah, Harry, Sue, Quil, and Joy. "Just like old times," he would say. But when Renee stopped dropping Bella off and instead sent a relative, Charlie knew his ex-wife had found someone else. Once Renee and Phil got married, Bella decided that she wanted to stay with her lonely father full time, especially since she thought her mother and Phil deserved their time alone. Her mother had been through a lot and she was happy for her.

But, at twenty three years old, Bella still held out hope that Renee and Charlie would get back together. Until that happened though, Bella would be happy to be the only woman in her dad's life. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't the only man in her life.

"Jake!" She jumped into his arms as he engulfed her in a huge hug. "Damn, I've missed you girl," he murmured as he set her down gently.

"Oh hush, we talk every week."

"I know but I haven't seen you since the middle of March. It's May now, two whole months! You're a sight for sore eyes, pretty girl."

She laughed and gripped his cheek. "You're one to talk."

Before he could respond, the door to her dad's place opened and a red-faced Charlie walked out. "Bells," he said with a slight smile on his face. "Dad," she smiled and hugged him softly. She'll never get tired of the blushes and the awkward hugs. As Jacob brought her things inside, Billy came wheeling out of the house.

"Bella."

She smiled. "Billy, you look younger and younger every time I see you." She bent down to hug him as he chuckled and said to Charlie, "I didn't hear her say that to you, old man." She'll never get tired of Billy and Charlie picking on each other, either.

She left the men to fight it out on the porch and went inside. Before she could even sit down, Jake grabbed her arm. "Come on," he said, "we're going to La Push".

* * *

Bella always loved being in La Push. Not only was she constantly surrounded by beautiful wolves, but she made all of the other girls jealous. Bella was never anything particularly special but because she had known the guys for so long, they always paid her special attention. And it just _killed_ the La Push girls.

Normally, Bella wouldn't set out to make anyone jealous but she couldn't help it when she crossed that border between Forks and La Push. She knew why her mother was always so reluctant to leave her with Charlie all of those summers. Bella always had to convince her mom that things were different since she left, but boy was she mistaken. She had become used to all of the stares, whispers, and eye rolls but now that she was older…well, let's just say she got more male attention than she did before when she was in high school. And a lot of it happened to come when she was on the beach in La Push. The native girls just couldn't stand it. Bella didn't feel particularly attractive. She figured all of the attention came because the guys liked to see something new since they pretty much saw the same women all the time.

As a matter of fact, Bella hadn't had a steady boyfriend since Edward Cullen, in high school. Yep, high school. And that one didn't last very long. After about a very weird month, she found out that he was an animal-sucking vampire who stalked her while she slept. She knew she wasn't seeing things.

After she dumped him, his family disappeared and she hadn't heard from them since. Billy was overjoyed enough to throw a bonfire that weekend. At first, Bella didn't know why but when Jacob climbed through her window one night with a haircut and a tattoo, she soon figured it out. She wasn't very upset about it; maybe it was because she could see one of the benefits of being a wolf all over Jacob's physique. Don't get her wrong, she probably would never go _there_ with Jacob. She's known him since they were kids. But, then again…

Bella just completed her second year in graduate school and she was _still_ a virgin. YES, a virgin. It had gotten to the point where she lied and told her girlfriends that she was just waiting for marriage. Yeah, right. It's not as if she hadn't received offers. She had. She really had. Really.

But she was always so concerned with getting good grades. So concerned that she hardly went out and enjoyed herself. That meant that she never really met anyone. That was how it had been since her freshman year of college, which was a long time ago. But she was tired of it. She was tired of the loneliness and the boredom. There was nothing wrong with being a twenty-three-year-old virgin... She thought it was actually quite honorable. But, she hadn't been kissed since she was with Edward and needless to say, that wasn't the best experience. She wanted to know what it felt like to be kissed, to be touched, to be held and caressed. She just wanted to feel a little better about herself. She always saw the boys in the pack as brothers to her, but not anymore. If the La Push girls were jealous now, Bella was definitely going to give them a reason to be jealous this summer.

But first, she had to choose with whom. She could just let it happen naturally, but damn it, she only had three months to find the one. It could be Jake. But that might be a bit messy, considering their and their fathers' life-long friendships would be at stake. Yeah, too messy. There was Embry. She'd always known that he had a little crush on her but she never pursued it. That could work. Well, actually, he was just too…shy. Too much like her. She kind of needed someone who was going to take control. She could go with…

No.

NO.

She was desperate, but not _that _desperate.

She wouldn't touch that freak Paul Lahote with a ten foot pole. She would never want to be on his ever-expanding list. NEVER. NEVER EVER EVER.

But, then again…

His reputation preceded him, surely. And he was always running after her. Maybe she could be the one to chew him up and spit him out. That could be fun.

Whatever. Whether or not she decided to let the pervert touch her could wait. She was definitely going to have fun this summer. And no one was going to stop her. Not some immature, jealous girls. Not Jake. Not anyone.

* * *

**Sorry for having a second part to the prologue but this felt more like an introduction than a chapter. Of course the whole prologue is important so that you know the two most important sides to the story :).**

**I like to thank people personally but there are a couple of you who reviewed that do not have an account. So, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, alerted, and added the story to their favorites. If you guys would like to see the banner, I will be posting a link to it from Jacob Black n Pack on my profile, shortly. :)  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.  
**


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

He was excited.

It was like he could feel her. He knew she was there.

Damn, he was such a punk.

As Paul sat on his favorite log on the beach, he could almost smell the strawberries. He already knew she was supposed to come back today. Jake couldn't stop freaking out about it. The dweeb actually imagined their reunion in his head. Pathetic.

Paul did it too. But at least no one knew about it.

He imagined running into her "accidentally" and teasing her a little. They'd go back and forth, like always. He'd ask her out, and then she'd turn him down, like always. But eventually, she'd relent. Oh, she'd relent.

He smirked as he thought about all of the things he could do to her. She was pretty small so it would be easy. And with how hot-headed she was he was sure it would be fun too. He could just see it now. All of the grabbing, scratching, biting, licking and taunting. _Fuck_. Hmmm. Maybe he'll like having her as an imprint. That was how it was going to end, right? Paul didn't like the idea of being forced to do anything, especially finding an imprint, but he had a lot of pride in his heritage. He wanted to make his father proud of him. He wanted to live up to his tribal responsibilities and if that meant he absolutely _had_ to find an imprint, why couldn't it be her?

Well, that was easy. For one, baby alpha would be pissed. Two, she was timid, but so fucking feisty. They were bound to go at it constantly. Three, she always turned him down. Constantly.

But then again, who gave a fuck what baby alpha thought? Feisty was sexy as hell and never boring. And shit. He was Paul. _Paul._ She loved him. Plus, he had been chasing the girl for so long and he still hadn't gotten tired of her. She made him feel like a punk ass kid with a crush but he liked the feelings he got when she was around. She got his heart pumping. And he highly doubted that he would ever get tired of seeing her, hearing her, touching her, kissing…

Wait.

Since when did he decide she was going to be his imprint?

_Shit_.

It was like as soon as she came to town, all rational thoughts went out the window. What happened to the sex-crazed, lady killing, women eating machine? Well, he was still sex-crazed, but only for her. _Fuck_.

Paul was jarred out of his thoughts when he heard her voice. _Yes_. She was there. On the beach. With Jacob and his idiot friends, Embry and Quil. Paul smirked. He could see the blush on Embry's face from afar. Man, he had no chance. Paul could tell what kind of guy Bella needed, and it was definitely not Embry. He was a cool kid and all, but Bella needed someone who would challenge her. She needed someone who could bring out the real her. Paul was just that guy.

* * *

After about a boring hour of watching the four mess around on the beach, Paul followed Bella's truck as she drove back to Forks. He knew that the guys invited her to the bonfire tonight. He could wait until then to approach her but Paul had never been a patient guy. Plus, he thought they needed to be alone for their first encounter.

She stopped by the supermarket to pick up supplies for dinner, just as he knew she would. Man, she was going to be a great imprint. Besides the sex, there'd always be lots of food. He and his dad will appreciate that.

As she walked in, he phased back to his human form and quickly pulled on the shirt and shorts wrapped around his ankles. He pulled on the shoes he was carrying in his mouth. Always had to be prepared. No twenty-one-year old walked around barefoot without a shirt.

He walked into the supermarket and smirked at all of the attention he received. He still had it even though he was about to be an imprinted man.

_Fuck_.

He followed her scent and found her picking up a pack of beef hot dogs from the meat section. Damn, a woman after his own heart. He snuck up behind her.

"Hey, baby."

He smirked as he heard her heart rate increase. "Yeah, that's right," he thought. "You know exactly who it is."

She turned around slowly. "Paul." He grinned and fought the pathetic blush that was trying to make itself known on his cheeks. Damn it. She was too beautiful.

She looked even better than the last time he saw her in March. She was still pretty short, but that was never going to change. She had light brown highlights in her curly, black hair. He could see the red tint seeping into her beautiful, dark cheeks. She was also sans makeup, besides some mascara and a hint of lipstick, as per usual. He slowly raked his eyes over the rest of her body. Under her spaghetti strapped shirt, he could tell that she was wearing a push up bra that definitely accentuated the curve of her small breasts. He couldn't wait to squeeze them. And suck them. And other stuff people did to breasts. As his eyes continued onward, they couldn't help but stop at the swells of her thighs. God, how he wanted to bury his face in between those thighs. He could just imagine taking a nice, long whiff of her –

"Paul. Paul!"

For the second time that day he was jarred out of his thoughts and his eyes returned to her dark ones. She looked at him blankly. He smiled. "Sorry, I've just missed you."

He could tell that she didn't want to be affected but she couldn't help it. Her blush intensified. He already knew what she was about to say. And she would say it while rolling her eyes, lifting up her left shoulder, and scrunching up her face.

"I haven't missed you," she said while rolling her eyes, lifting up her left shoulder, and scrunching up her face. He laughed loudly while she looked at him questioningly.

He grabbed his chest in mock offense. "Ouch! No need to be harsh to mask your feelings, sweetheart. I know you missed me too. You can show me over dinner tomorrow night."

She laughed obnoxiously and rolled her eyes. "In your dreams, mutt."

He smirked. He could see they still had chemistry.

"Damn, I've really missed you. I can't wait to see you at the bonfire tonight. I haven't forgotten the way the flames illuminate your eyes and reflect off your skin." He slowly slid his finger down her chocolate-colored arm. "Beautiful."

She smacked his hand away and tried hard not to laugh. She failed. He laughed along with her. She bit her lip gently—to which is dick readily responded—and subtly looked around. "Well, don't tell anyone I told you this, but…I've missed you, too." Was he dreaming? God, he hated her. She made him feel like such a girl.

"So then let's go to dinner tomorrow night. Please?" He never had to say please, but he didn't want to fuck this up. After she was his imprint he wouldn't have to say please anymore.

She looked him up and down. "Fine. But dinner, that's it, Lahote."

"Whatever you say, my little swan." He tapped her nose as she rolled her eyes.

"Now leave me alone; I know you followed me. I'll see you tonight."

He smirked and winked as he backed away slowly. Ah, she already knew him so well. She was going to make an excellent imprint.

* * *

It had only been a few hours since she got back and she was already getting stares.

Sometimes she wished that the bonfires could be in a secluded area. That way for just one night she could have fun with her friends without the judgmental glances and the whispers. But it was okay because she knew that her boys would never let anything happen to her. She wasn't even sure that they noticed.

"Bella!"

She turned around to the familiar voice behind her.

"Leah!" The two women embraced each other tightly. Leah had always been a great friend to Bella. At first glance, they seemed like total opposites because of Leah's temper and Bella's timidity, but given enough time, it always became clear why they were such great friends. They complemented each other very well in opposition but when they were both up to something they were a force to be reckoned with.

"So I see the heathens are out in full force tonight," Leah snickered. She understood what Bella constantly went through. Because Leah was always around the boys, all of the girls believed that she was the pack tramp. But as soon as imprinting season came around, they were so quick to kiss up to her to try to get in good with her and by association, the pack.

"Yeah. One in particular."

They both looked at Emily. The tan skinned, brown eyed beauty was standing amongst her friends, staring at the two. But as soon as they made eyes with her she looked away. Leah guffawed while Bella chuckled.

"I really don't understand her problem with me. I mean, when I came during the winter it was bad enough that she was trying to steal Sam from you, but then I came back for spring break and all of a sudden she treated me like I killed her mom. What's happened to her?" Bella asked.

"I don't know," Leah said. "It could have something to do with the fact that you get all of Paul's attention whenever you're in town."

Bella couldn't help the heat that rose to her cheeks. "Emily likes Paul?"

"Oh yeah. You know about the imprinting deadline, right? Total bullshit if you ask me. The only ones out of the pack who are old enough and have found their imprints are Sam, Jared, Quil, and Seth. Sam because…well…I'm me and he loves it. Jared because he's been with Kim for quite some time, Quil because Claire has him pussy whipped, and my little brother because he's too faithful to be with anyone but Lisa. I don't know how the council expects Jake, Embry, and Paul to find their imprints within these last 3 – 4 months.

"Anyway, like I was saying about Emily, since she figured she couldn't have Sam, she's had her eye on the remaining three, specifically Paul. You better get your man, girl."

Bella rolled her eyes dramatically. Despite Paul's promiscuity, Leah always held out hope that he and Bella would end up together. She seemed to think that she, Sam, Bella, and Paul would make the best foursome.

"Please, Leah. I don't want him and he doesn't want me for more than just a fun night. So after tomorrow night we'll be done."

Leah's eyes expanded unattractively. "What? After tomorrow night?"

"I 'ran into' him at the supermarket earlier. He asked me out to dinner and I agreed. If things go well, then…"

"Then what?" Leah exclaimed disbelievingly. "What happened to the girl who didn't give a crap about Paul? Now you're thinking about," at this point, she whispered quietly, "having sex with him?"

Bella shrugged and whispered, "All I know is that I'm tired of being a virgin. I'm fucking horny and hormonal, Leah. I want to have sex!"

Leah shushed her loudly and looked around. "Okay…look, you're a grown woman and I'm not one to tell you who you should give it up to or when you should give it up but just be careful. Be safe. And if you paid attention, you'd realize that he wants you for more than one night. So maybe you shouldn't give in so easily," Leah shrugged and walked off towards Sam.

Screw that.

After a while of talking to the guys, Bella managed to escape and breathe in solitude. She couldn't think while Quil was trying to get everyone to do the Cha Cha Slide so she walked down the beach, away from the crowd. When she was by herself, she took a moment to think. Since when did she decide she was going to go all the way with Paul? Was Paul worth it? Did she really want to lose her virginity to someone she couldn't picture herself with? Someone who was known for having sex with many women? Someone who she had to see as long as she continued to come to Forks and La Push? She knew that Paul wasn't nearly as bad as she tried to make him seem – at least, not as bad as he was when he was younger. Now that he was grown he seemed to conduct himself more maturely. He was about to graduate from college and move on to law school. Though he had sex with many women throughout high school and the beginning of his college career, she hadn't heard as much about his sexcapades this whole last year. That was honorable, right? Maybe he grew out of that. But Bella still wasn't too sure about him. She would never admit this, but Bella has always had a bit of a crush on Paul, even though he disgusted her greatly. Okay, maybe she wouldn't call it a crush, but she thought he was attractive. And she liked when he asked her out but she was never stupid enough to agree back during his promiscuous days. Now, things were different. She was _so_ lonely so who was she to deny his advances? If he wanted to take her out and show her a good time why shouldn't she agree? It wasn't like he was some stranger off the street. Plus, she was a grown woman now and she knew what she could handle. God, she sounded so desperate.

With all of these thoughts swarming in her head, Bella was too distracted to notice when someone came up behind her.

"Hey, Beautiful."

She jumped a little before turning around. "Hey."

"So, you excited for our date tomorrow? I was thinking we could go to a nice little restaurant, then take a walk on the beach…you know, stuff that chicks like."

She stared at him blankly. So much for maturity.

"Yeah. Right."

He laughed a little. "I don't know why you look so down, Beautiful. Hell I'm excited. For the first time in five and a half years, you've agreed to go out with me. I'm definitely not complaining, but what's with the change of heart all of a sudden?"

Because she wanted to have sex.

"Because I figured it wouldn't hurt to get to know you a little better. Maybe then after one date you'll finally give up and get over it."

He laughed boisterously. "Bella, Bella, Bella," Paul started, "we're friends, right?"

"Barely."

"Exactly, we go way back. So, you know me. You and I both know that once I get a taste of you, I'll definitely be coming back for more." He walked a little closer to her. Bella wanted so much to move back but couldn't find it in herself to do it. There was something so tantalizing about how he looked at and talked to her. It was like she couldn't tear her eyes away from his, no matter how much she wanted to. It made her feel weak. She hated feeling weak.

While she continued the monologue in her head, he whispered, "You might not see it now, but you and I are good together. After five and a half years of chasing after you, what makes you think I'll give you up once I've caught you?"

Her lips parted and her eyes widened slightly. Wait, was she…was she… _swooning_?

**Damn**. He was good.

He was so confident, even after all of this time. And the idea of being caught—by _him_—was strangely arousing.

By this point, he was dangerously close. He was so close that Bella felt the heat radiating off of him in waves. It was intoxicating. She came to the conclusion that the dog must have been releasing pheromones or something because it was taking everything in Bella's power not to jump Paul's bones at that very moment. A noise off in the distance stopped her from potentially embarrassing herself.

"Paul," Emily was approaching them swiftly.

Paul rolled his eyes. "Hey Emily. You remember Bella."

Emily smiled. "Hi, Bella." She turned back to Paul. "We just finished the food so I was wondering if you wanted some."

"You hungry, Bella?" Bella didn't even try to hide her smile. "Why yes, Paul. I could eat."

He smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Alright, let's go eat."

A red-faced Emily followed closely behind.

* * *

Paul and Bella sat together intimately as they ate. They were subject to quite a few stares and they both loved it.

On one hand, they had Jacob staring them down while Vanessa tried vainly to maintain his attention. They also had Embry who, despite being bothered by a number of very willing women, kept glancing at Paul and Bella. Paul laughed.

On the other hand, there were Emily and her friends. They didn't make it a secret that they were upset. Besides the angry glares and eye rolls directed towards Bella, there were some disrespectful comments thrown her way as well. Bella didn't hear them but she knew every time something was said because she would hear a chorus of angry growls, the loudest being from Jake who was right next to the girls. She loved it when Jake got all "Alpha male". He snarled and bared his teeth. It was hot.

As Bella went to discard her trash, she felt someone bump into her. She looked up and saw Emily passing by. Bella laughed a little. "Uh hello?"

Emily turned back and looked at her. "What?"

"You just bumped into me. Please try to be more careful." What "inside Bella" really wanted to say was, "Bitch you better NOT do it again!" but "outside Bella" was a little more mature than that.

"Oh," Emily laughed a little, "I didn't notice you were there. It's kind of dark outside tonight."

It took Bella a minute to process what Emily said. But as soon as she did, all hell broke loose.

"Excuse me? What did you just say?" Bella asked as she walked a little closer.

"I said I can't see you because it's kind of dark outside tonight…why? Did that offend you?" Emily bit back a smile. Bella wanted to smack it off of her face. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"You _know_ it offended me. Look, I don't know what your deal is Emily, but you need to back off. I may be classy but I will not hesitate to defend myself, especially when you try to insult me because of the color of my skin."

Emily rolled her eyes. In a futile attempt to be discreet, she whispered, "Look, if the truth makes you so uncomfortable, maybe you should just leave. You don't belong here anyway, Bella,_ especially_ during this time. So instead of trying to squirm your way into _our_ tribe, go find one of your own men to bother."

Bella's skin flared up and her eyes became slits. She was so tempted to push Emily into the flames of the bonfire, but before she could, both women were startled as they saw two **very** angry men approaching them.

"I don't know who the **fuck** you think you are," Paul started, "but you will not speak to her like that again." Paul was growling and shaking so badly that Bella thought he was about to start foaming at the mouth. She put a hand on his arm to calm him down.

"Chill," she whispered. Paul stared at her and once again, she couldn't look away. After a minute, his shaking began to decrease.

"Why don't _you_ leave, Emily?" Jake was a little calmer than Paul. "I can tell that you've been drinking so maybe it's best that you go home."

Emily laughed a little. "Look, Bella is just being sensitive. It was just a misunderstanding."

"Didn't sound like one to me," Paul seethed.

"Emily, let's go." One of the girls Emily came with, Serena, pulled Emily away with her.

Bella couldn't believe that Emily was being so bold. This is exactly what Bella wanted to avoid coming here.

"You okay?" Leah asked as she held onto Sam.

"Yeah, I'm fine but I think I need a drink," she said as she walked away.

Bella doesn't even drink.

* * *

**Once again, thank you guys for the reviews, alerts, and favorites. Please don't be afraid to let me know what you think. A bit of this is pre-written but I have changed some things according to reviews so don't hesitate to let me know what you like and don't like. I know it's only three chapters in so this goes for the future as well. Thank you! **


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Jake couldn't believe it.

After five and a half years of turning Lahote down, Bella had finally decided to give him a chance last night at the bonfire.

What gives?

It wasn't like Jake was in love with her or anything. Well, not that much. He had a great girlfriend. Her name was Vanessa and she was…great.

But there was just something about Bella.

He felt so damn protective of her. He loved it when they went to PACC together – he was a freshman when she was a junior. That way, he could keep an eye on her and make sure the perverted college boys didn't take advantage of her. He knew how they thought. After all, he was one himself.

Fortunately, he didn't have to work very hard because she kept to herself often, except when she was with him and the guys. They always made sure she didn't get too lost in her work. She did that a lot, but he was really proud of her. He was sad when she graduated, but overjoyed that she did it with honors and a degree in Psychology. She was now in graduate school and he lived for the days she came home.

Vanessa was a little jealous. He had been dating her on and off for a little over a year. She was Quileute, but didn't live on the reservation so he met her in college. She didn't understand why Jake was always so excited to see Bella. He always had to convince her that it was because he and Bella grew up together and were like brother and sister. It was kind of like that, but not really.

Jake always held a sliver of hope that something would happen between him and Bella. At first, he didn't think of her that way because she was just his friend that came to visit during the summers. But when she showed up to live with Charlie during her senior year of high school, with those expressive brown eyes and all of those new curves, Jacob fell. He fell hard.

But soon enough she got involved with Edward Cullen. When that ended, he wanted to approach her but a part of him just knew she didn't feel that way about him. She always turned Paul down, and although he knew it was mostly because of Paul's heathen ways, it was also because she thought he was too young. Jacob and Paul were the same age so he didn't see himself having a better chance, especially because she probably saw him as her kid brother. So, many of his teenage fantasies starred her. It definitely didn't feel like incest when he thought about it.

Now that she was back for the summer, all of a sudden she seemed to have taken an interest in Paul. What for? Jacob had to admit, Paul wasn't a bad guy. They hung out a lot, not just because they were pack brothers but because they went to PACC together. But he knew Paul's ways. He might not be as promiscuous as he was before, but when he was with a girl now, it was never for a very long time. He didn't want Bella to be one of those women. He cared about her too much to let Paul hurt her. He had been in Paul's head plenty of times and knew how he thought about Bella. He was intrigued by her. If Jacob hadn't known any better, he would think that Paul was actually interested in pursuing a relationship with her. But Jake knew him better than that. Actions spoke much louder than words.

If he had to get involved himself, he would. He would use all of his Alpha power to fuck Paul up. But he got the feeling that Vanessa wouldn't be okay with that. She was a bit possessive, which he found kind of hot sometimes, but Bella was too important to him to let Vanessa dictate their relationship. Besides, he felt that the main reason Vanessa was with him was because of imprinting season. Of course, they had been together way before it came around but lately, she _really_ made sure that they were on instead of off.

Because he was to be chief, he was the big man of La Push. Many of the women tried to get in his good graces when he and Vanessa were on a break, even when they were still together. Jake wasn't a cheater so he never strayed. Plus, he didn't want to be with a woman who only wanted him for his status. In addition, he was to become Alpha of the wolf pack shortly. Now that Jake was twenty one, his accession ceremony would be approaching during the summer. Leah and Sam were going to get married soon so Sam wanted to give up his title as soon as Jake was ready. Jacob was very proud of the authority he would be taking on. He wanted to make his father and his community proud. He knew that this meant he would have to choose his future bride by the end of the summer. They didn't have to get married immediately; it just had to be clear that she was his intended imprint. A ceremony would even be completed. The council believed that this was important because now that the men were adults, they "needed" women who would accompany them on their journey into adulthood as Quileute warriors. In their culture, the women were as important as the men because they were the ones who kept the men together during difficult times. Because these difficult times usually included battles with vampires, the council thought that the imprints had to be native because they were the only ones who would understand and keep the secret of the wolves. Jake thought that it was complete bullshit, especially given a particular non-native best friend who knew and kept the secret, but he wasn't chief so he couldn't do anything to change the customs. Yet.

He was okay with marrying a native girl – no big deal. It could even be Vanessa. But a part of him was so caught up on Bella that he couldn't declare anyone his imprint before he saw if there was a possibility for them.

* * *

Vanessa was jealous.

The girl hadn't been back for a whole twenty four hours and Jake couldn't stop talking about her. She thought his obsessive comments about his excitement would end when Bella came back, but now that she was here Jake just would not shut up, especially at the bonfire. Vanessa met Bella a couple of times before but she was only in Forks for short periods of time. Now she was here for the whole summer.

When Vanessa first met Bella, she was surprised. She just wasn't expecting…her. She wasn't racist or anything. But when Jake told her that she was Charlie Swan's daughter Vanessa certainly didn't imagine _her_.

She was the girl that had Jake's panties in a twist.

Vanessa wasn't fooled. The way Jake looked at her completely gave him up. She knew Jake's character so she knew he wouldn't cheat on her, but that was before Bella came back. Now, she wasn't so sure. They had a whole summer, after all. That was why she definitely needed to keep him on a short leash for the time being. Whenever she and Jake broke up, it was because of stupid arguments that they would have about other girls. Vanessa knew Jake was faithful but that didn't stop her from getting pissed off about all of the desperate females that paid him attention. Vanessa loved Jake. She really did. And after the year she spent with him, dealing with all of those conniving females from La Push and even some from PACC, she thought that she was the only one who deserved to be his chosen partner. She knew all about the La Push expectations that the sons of the council members would be tied down by their twenty-second birthdays.

She also knew that Jake was to become the next chief of the tribe. She wasn't with him for that reason, but she had to admit that she loved the idea of being married to a chief. La Push wasn't some huge community but any type of authority sounded good. She was so used to being at the bottom so the idea of being at the top was rather appealing. The idea of being at the top with Jacob was even _more_ appealing. She just hoped that no one got in her way, including Bella.

* * *

The next morning, Bella thought about everything that happened the previous evening at the bonfire.

After the confrontation with Emily, it was like Bella couldn't get away from Paul. He wasn't smothering her or anything. He actually kept his distance for once. But she'd be with Leah, and he'd be looking at her. She'd be laughing, and he'd be staring at her. She'd be with Jake and he'd REALLY be staring at her. It was so creepy. It reminded her of Edward Cullen, whom she hadn't thought about in quite some time. But oddly enough, coming from Paul Lahote, it was so…**hot**. His dark brown eyes had this smoldering, possessive way of looking at her like she was the only woman in the world...like she was his. And damn it, if he kept looking at her like that, she would be. She loved the attention. But it was quite obvious that Jacob didn't.

He pulled her away from the crowd and they began walking down the beach.

"So how are you and Vanessa doing?"

"We're fine," Jake responded, "but this isn't about us. What's up with you and Paul?"

She laughed. "Okay, let's just get to the point then. He asked me to go to dinner with him and I said yes. That's it."

"But you hate Paul," Jake almost whined. Bella rolled her eyes.

"Don't whine. And no I don't hate Paul. Well, not really. We're almost friends, you know. I've known him for so long that the punk has grown on me."

"Enough that you want to date him?"

"Jake, chill. Don't worry. It's one dinner. I'm not going to bang him or anything."

_Well…_

Jake sighed. "I know you wouldn't. I just want you to be careful, Bells."

They stopped walking. "Awww, don't worry about me, cutie." She laughed and pinched his cheeks.

He chuckled darkly and bit his lip. She was so cute.

He pulled her closer and left a lingering kiss on her forehead. God, he was hot. Literally. She felt like he was trying to brand her forehead.

He pulled away slightly and licked his lips. For a split second she thought that she wanted to lick his lips, too. She also thought for a split second that he could read her mind because he smirked and bit his lip. "Bells–"

"Hey, Black! Your girlfriend is looking for you." Bella turned towards the voice and wasn't surprised to see Paul. She should have known that he wouldn't be too far.

"Thanks, Paul." Jake said. Oddly enough, he didn't sound so grateful. "But you can tell her I'll be with her in a minute. I'm talking," he said as he wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulders. All of a sudden, she got a bit uncomfortable.

"Do you want her to come looking for you? You know Vanessa." Paul said as he stared straight at Jake.

Jacob wasn't backing down. The guys stared at each other for a long moment as Bella stood there awkwardly. If she hadn't known that they were both straight she would have said that there was some sexual tension in the air. But that was probably just her core tingling from the display of male dominance. _Hottt_. While she was thinking about what it would be like to have both men take her on the beach, she almost missed what Jake said.

"You know what, Paul? You're right." He looked at Bella.

"I'll see you later, pretty girl," he said, kissing her cheek softly before running off towards the fire.

Paul smirked and walked closer to Bella. "Alone, at last." Bella laughed a little. "You are too much, Paul."

"Not too much for you." He winked.

She wanted to be disgusted by the wink but it was hard when she was always so horny. The slightest thing seemed erotic to her so the wink was almost enough to send her overboard. But he didn't need to know that.

"Don't get too excited, Paul. Just because I agreed to one dinner doesn't mean you're getting anything more."

He took a huge whiff of the air and smiled knowingly. "Maybe not tomorrow night, but soon."

Usually, she would recoil at words like those. But at that moment she couldn't find it in herself to disagree.

* * *

"This is not a date, Paul."

"I know."

"So why are you trying to hold my hand?"

Paul grinned and led her inside of the tiny restaurant the next evening. "I just want to make sure you don't fall." She rolled her eyes and slid into a booth as he sat across from her.

"You know, it's really difficult for me to sit so far away from you-"

Bella rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that night and scoffed. "Look, Paul. Cut the crap. If you want me to stay you need to refrain from the lame lines and be real with me. Why did you want to take me out so badly?"

He sighed. He should have known this wasn't going to be easy. But that was what he loved about her. "I just want to get to know you better."

"Why?"

"Because I like you, Bella." If she was going to be his imprint, he needed to lay it all out on the line. He might as well get used to it now. _Fuck._

"I know you think I'm a shallow, annoying, immature prick, but-" He stopped as she nodded and gave him a sound reminiscent of an "Mmmhmmm".

He grinned. "But believe it or not, shit changes for me whenever you're around. You don't let me treat you any which way. You challenge me. You call me on my shit. I like it. But, our relationship…" She quirks her eyebrow at that as he smiles. "Our relationship is so shallow. I just want us to get the chance to know each other. Is that so bad?"

"It could be," Bella said. Then she smiled. "But I'm willing to see how far this goes."

He smiled and reached for her hand across the table. He grabbed it and held it. She let him.

* * *

She spent the whole dinner laughing at his awful stories and sharing some of her own. She didn't refuse when he asked her to walk along the beach with him.

When they sat near the water, she couldn't help but bring it up. "So, so far we've only talked about unimportant things, like movies, music, and Quil chasing his own tale during patrol. But you said you wanted to get to know me better and I'd like the same. So we have to talk about something of substance. So…tell me about yourself."

He liked that she wanted to know about him. Usually, girls didn't take the time to ask. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me something about yourself that no one knows."

That should be easy. "I paint."

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "You paint?"

A red tint appeared on his cheeks. "Yeah. It's kind of a hobby. No one knows besides my dad. He is the one who bought me the supplies in the first place, after all."

She smiled. "That's cool. Maybe I can see one of your paintings sometime?"

He smiled back and nodded. "Yeah. What about you? Tell me something no one knows about you."

She took a deep breath. "Sometimes I feel threatened here. I try to act all tough but when I think about what happened to my mom because of her relationship with my dad, I get kind of worried. It's stuff like what happened last night with Emily that gets to me. Don't get me wrong, I would never let ignorance run me off but sometimes I get kind of scared."

He was at a loss of what to say. He really didn't expect her to get so serious. But in a way, he was happy she did. They were getting somewhere. She trusted him.

"Bella, you don't have to worry. You have every right to be here. We love you and this is our town. We run this, not a bunch of ignorant hussies like Emily." She smiled. "We'd never let anything happen to you. _I'd_ never let anything happen to you. Don't let fear keep you from the people you love. Fear is just an emotion."

She stared at him for a long moment. "Yeah…what are you afraid of, Paul?"

He stared back. "You." God, he sounded like such a pussy. But if he was going to reel her in he needed to be honest with her and himself. And if he was being honest, she scared the shit out of him. Not just because she was a terror when she was angry—after all, he was even worse when he was angry—but because she made him want to do things with her that he never wanted to do with any other woman.

"Me?"

The corner of his mouth twitched up in embarrassment. "Yeah. The fact that I want to stick around and get to know you scares the crap out of me. I'm not used to that feeling. Don't tell anyone though." His rosy cheeks lifted as he laughed a little.

She saw right through him. She laughed for his sake. "Hey. Don't let fear keep you from the girl of your dreams. Fear is just an emotion, Paul."

He stared at her and smiled. "Yeah." She stared back.

When it got too intimate for her, she looked out across the ocean. He grabbed her hand. She let him.

He stared at their intertwined hands and couldn't help but marvel at the contrast of her darker skin against his. He wasn't used to it. He liked it.

* * *

**A crap load more of Paul & Bella next chapter. I just needed to introduce Jake & Vanessa's sides into this. :) Thanks, once again, to everyone who reviewed, etc.  
**


	5. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Do you remember your mom much?"

Hours later, Paul was lying on the sand with Bella's head on his shoulder. The waves tickled their feet as they looked up at the dark sky.

"Not really," Paul answered softly. "I was pretty young when she died. I just remember that I loved her a lot. My father said that she and I were inseparable and he was pretty much chopped liver whenever she was around."

Bella laughed. "I bet you and your dad are pretty close now, huh?"

"Yeah. What about you and Charlie?" He played with her fingers across his stomach.

"As close as two people like us can be. You know we're both kind of quiet but that's what I like about us. We get each other and everything is really natural between us…never awkward."

Paul nodded.

"What about you and your mom?"

She smiled. "Yeah, we're pretty close. I didn't decide to go back to New York because I still wanted to get to know my father better but we see each other whenever we can and we talk every week. I'm like my dad but I'm like her too. She has this fire about her…I don't know how timid Charlie handled fiery Renee."

Paul smiled. "That sounds just like you. Half and half. But I can't blame your dad for being attracted to that…it's sexy."

"I think my mom is happy with Phil but I'll tell her you're interested." They both laughed as Bella sat up and looked down at him.

He reached up a little and rubbed his fingers across her cheek. "You're the only woman I'm interested in." He mentally patted himself on the back. What a line. Way to go, Paul!

She rolled her eyes. What a line.

"Why, Paul? I've never understood, all of these years, why you were so intent on getting me to go out with you. Is it because you want a conquest that never paid you any mind? Because if that's the case, we should leave right now."

She did want to have sex with him, _badly_, but if that was the only reason he was there she wasn't sure if she'd be okay with selling herself short like that. Damn, she was so confused. What the hell did she want? What did _he_ want? It seemed like she wanted him for sex but if he wanted her for that reason it was unacceptable. Damn, double standards, much? She was a virgin at heart—physically, too—but her mind was telling her to get laid. It seemed like the closer that possibility got, the more her heart kept trying to tell her mind to be smarter and keep those legs closed. Ironic.

He sat up with his face just inches from hers. "If all I wanted was sex, I would have given up on you all those years ago, Bella. I know I don't have the best record with relationships but I want to try something with you. You've always been able to make me feel more than just a sexual attraction. I'll be honest; I'm not exactly sure what it is about you that's had me so sprung all of these years but I want to find out."

Damn, he was happy he was so good at blocking his thoughts when he was phased. If the guys saw this he would never hear the end of it.

"But I'm not even your type."

He leaned in a little closer. She couldn't escape from his heat and she found that she almost didn't want to.

"You're exactly my type."

She rolled her eyes again. He laughed.

"You know, if you keep doing that they're going to get stuck up there."

She laughed a little. "Your stupid lines will be why they get stuck."

He licked his lips and looked down at hers. "They usually work. But not on you." She felt his breath sweep across her lips and she felt the need to lick them, so she did. Hers, not his.

"Yep…" Their noses were almost touching. "And if you think I'm going to let you kiss me tonight, you are shit out of luck, Lahote."

Paul smiled and leaned back on the sand. "Not tonight, but soon."

Once again, she couldn't find it in herself to disagree. She lied down next to him. Bella enjoyed playing hard to get. She had a feeling that he liked that much more than someone who immediately gave in. And as Paul sniffed the air conspicuously, Bella sensed that they both knew that soon enough, they wouldn't have to play this game any longer.

* * *

The next day, Paul woke up with a smile on his face. He was wearing her down. He knew it. He was a little confused, though. It wasn't easy per se to get her to agree to dinner but it wasn't as hard as he thought it would be, either. She told him that she wanted to get to know him better, but why now? Bella always swore that he disgusted her—which he knew was a lie…well, kind of—so why did she all of a sudden want to get to know him? And what was even worse was that after just a _little_ bit of begging, she agreed to go to the beach with him today! What the hell was that about? Of course, he couldn't wait to see her in a bikini, but shit, he was confused. But Paul wasn't going to complain. He was going to enjoy it as much as he could.

After a couple of hours of fucking around with Jared, Paul went to the beach to wait for Bella. She agreed to make some food and meet him there. _Yes._ Of course, just his luck, he ran into baby alpha and his girl.

He smirked as he walked up to them. "Hey Black. Hey Vanessa. Enjoying the beautiful weather?"

Jake stood up from his spot on the sand. "You know it. Here by yourself? That sucks."

Paul laughed loudly. "Actually, I'm meeting Bella here. She said she was going to make some food and meet me here. I hope she makes those chicken sandwiches you like so much. I bet they're so _fucking _good."

Jake smirked but Paul sensed the jealousy in him instantly. It was rolling off of him in waves. Damn, not only would Paul get the benefit of having Bella in his company but he'd get to make baby alpha jealous. He never set out to do that but it felt like a plus.

As the two guys stared at each other, Vanessa finally stood up. "Uh, Jake –"

"So, how was the date last night?" Jake asked, completely ignoring Vanessa. Ouch.

"Oh, it was fantastic. We had a candlelit dinner then took a nice, relaxing walk on this very same beach. We looked at the stars, talked…you know, the usual." He winked. He could see the wheels turning in Jacob's head.

"Wow, so you managed to not screw it up and score a second date? Congrats, Paul. I didn't know you had it in you." Jake held his hand out for Paul to shake. They grabbed each other's hands, probably a little harder than necessary. Paul got the message loud and clear. Jake was trying to let him know that he was still in the running. Paul laughed. He had never seen Jake this competitive before. He liked it.

"_Jake_," Vanessa said, a little harsher than before. Before Jake could say anything else he was interrupted by a soft voice behind Paul.

"Hi," she said.

Paul rolled his eyes. He knew who it was before he even turned around.

"Hey, Serena." It was the girl who took Emily home the night of the bonfire. Though she knew her buddy Emily was interested in Paul, she still put herself in the running to be his mate. So much for loyalty.

"How are you? I was wondering if you got my note." She smiled sweetly. He cringed.

"Yeah."

"So…do you want to…"

"No." He smiled. "Why don't you run back to your little friends?" He looked over her shoulder to see a number of girls watching them intently. A couple even had the nerve to wave at Paul and Jake. Vanessa fumed.

A red-faced Serena was determined not to look stupid in front of them. "Come on, Paul. I heard about that girl…the one from the bonfire…I mean, you can't be serious about her, right?"

Paul laughed. "And why would that be any of your business?"

Serena rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Paul," she said. "I know a girl like her couldn't possibly keep you satisfied."

Before Paul could respond, he heard a voice behind him. "Oh, trust me. I know how to keep my man plenty satisfied." Before she had time to talk herself out of it, she reached up, grabbed Paul behind his neck and pulled him down to her lips. She had no idea what the hell she was doing. After all, stone cold Edward was the only guy she had ever kissed. But she had learned a couple of things from soap operas and stuff.

Bella thanked the spirits that Paul knew exactly what he was doing. It took some time but he gently coaxed her lips open with his own. She couldn't believe that his lips were so soft, so…pliable. But then again, she only had Edward to compare him to. His warm hands pulled her up against his body. She ran her fingers through his hair as the tip of his tongue touched hers. She gasped and pulled back. Well _that_ definitely never happened with Edward.

When she looked around, she saw a couple of people staring. Of course, there were Serena and her friends, looking at Bella like she was the biggest slut in the universe. "Hey", she thought, "at least I don't have to beg for Paul's attention." Then there were Vanessa and Jake. Vanessa looked slightly pleased and Jake's eyes were focused on Paul's back. Bella thought Jake would burn a hole through it. Oh well.

Paul, on the other hand, was staring at Bella's lips. He so wanted to suck on them again, if only for a second. He definitely didn't expect her to kiss him but from that moment on, Paul and his wolf knew that they didn't want her lips touching anybody else's. And if he weren't so stubborn, Paul would admit that he didn't want his touching anyone else's either.

* * *

After a couple of hours of watching Paul and Bella make out and play around in the ocean, Jake couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Vanessa and left. It was one thing to know that Paul and Bella were dating but to have it thrown in his face? Whatever. It was okay because Paul knew where Jake stood. He cared about Vanessa but he knew with how often they broke up that eventually their relationship just wouldn't work out. He would never cheat, but he did need to find his imprint. He figured, with all of the women competing against each other for him, Embry, and Paul, why couldn't he and Paul have a little competition of their own? Jacob knew that Vanessa one day wanted to be the wife of a chief; that much was obvious. But he knew Bella and he knew that his status had no effect on her feelings. So if he and Paul needed to find an imprint by the end of the summer, a little competition wouldn't hurt, especially if the prize came in the form of one Bella Swan.

As Jacob drove Vanessa to her place in Port Angeles, he let her go on and on about Bella and Paul.

"They're so cute together," she started, "I didn't know that Paul was so serious about her."

Jake stayed silent.

"What's wrong, Jake?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. I just don't think you should read too much into this budding romance."

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "You should be happy for them. They really look like they're meant for each other."

Jake laughed. "The only reason you're so happy is because you want Bella away from me."

"Can you blame me?" Jackpot. "The bitch is always around you!"

Jake gritted his teeth. "Don't speak about her like that."

She rolled her eyes. "Always defending her. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were fucking her already!"

Jake slammed on the brake. He couldn't take it anymore. "Vanessa, you need to fucking chill, okay? Bella and I have never slept together. You are so fucking insecure sometimes! According to you I'm sleeping with half the girls in La Push! I'm tired of it!"

"Well if you're so fucking tired of it, maybe we should break up!"

Jake rolled his eyes. This shit again.

"You know if we break up now you're going to come running back sooner or later. This time though, I'm not so sure I'll be waiting."

He saw a flash of hurt in her eyes and he immediately regretted what he said. He cared about her; he really did. But he couldn't take the accusations anymore. He was a faithful guy; that's the type of man his mother and father raised him to be. So to be continuously accused was finally taking its toll. And instead of going out and proving her right like most men would do, he had to end this.

"Fine." Without looking back, Vanessa grabbed her stuff and got out of the car. Jake sighed. He expected to feel some type of extreme loss but he didn't. He and Vanessa went through this at least once every other month. Maybe it was time for it to be put to an end. For good.

* * *

Long after Jacob and Vanessa left the beach, Paul and Bella lied on the sand and made out. Damn. Why did Bella deny Paul so often? Kissing was great! She enjoyed getting all of this practice. Before long, she wasn't afraid of his tongue touching hers. She actually sought it out!

When they weren't kissing, they spent the rest of their time playing around on the beach. He would give her piggy back rides in the water, since she didn't know how to swim very well. They would also make out in the water. They made out a lot.

They were currently making out on Paul's blanket. It was almost dark out so Bella knew it had to be around about eight o' clock. Her leg rested over both of his as he pulled her closer. His heat enveloped her and she wrapped her arms around his neck. As he moved even closer, her eyes flew open when she felt something hard against her core. _Oh shit_. Was that it? Was that the _special_ organ that everyone always talked about? Was this going to be the night? Was her first time going to be on the beach with the (ex?) man whore of La Push? Score!

Before her thoughts could take her any further, Paul and Bella's passionate encounter stopped when they heard a huge rumbling. The rumbling was Paul's stomach. He was starving.

"Fuck," he murmured breathlessly as he and Bella laughed. They pulled away from each other and sat up. "Do you want to go get some dinner?" Paul asked with his red-tinted lips.

"We went to dinner last night. And we went to the beach today. Don't you think dinner now would be a bit overkill?" Bella smirked. She was so good at this.

Paul chuckled. "Come on, Bella. It's only dinner." He slid his finger up and down her arm. "And after how close we got today…I highly doubt that dinner is overkill. I think dinner is quite appropriate. You can pretend to not like me but with how passionately you claimed me today, you and I both know it's not true." He gently kissed her shoulder, then her neck, and then his tongue slid up to her ear. She shuddered. "And by the way…the way you grabbed me in front of those girls and claimed what was yours…that was **so fucking** hot." He bit her ear and she could have sworn she had an orgasm right then and there. She wasn't exactly sure what one felt like so it was quite possible. Maybe after dinner she'd find out.

* * *

Paul laughed loudly as he recalled the faces Jake made all day at the beach.

"He was so pissed that you were kissing my lips instead of his."

Bella laughed and rolled her eyes. "Oh stop it, Paul. Jake and I are best friends. He just doesn't want you to take advantage of me."

They had been sitting at Sue's restaurant for a little over an hour. The place was empty, probably because of the rain, lightening, and thunder that started a little while after Paul and Bella arrived.

Paul shoveled fries into his mouth before responding. "Do you think I'm going to take advantage of you?"

Bella looked at him intently. "If anyone's going to be taking advantage of anyone around here, it'll be me."

It was slow coming but Paul grinned widely and pulled Bella's leg in between his. "Is it possible that I've met my match in you?"

Bella tried to remove her leg. When she realized he wasn't letting go, she relaxed a little and said, "You've definitely met your match in me, Lahote."

He smiled and reached across the table for her hand. She looked down at his. "You really think I'm going to hold your greasy hand right now?" He laughed and grabbed a tissue as Sue came from the back.

"Alright lovebirds, I'm closing up soon."

Bella smiled. "Thanks, Sue. We can wait here with you while you lock up."

"Oh, don't be silly! Seth is coming to pick me up soon. You guys go enjoy the rest of your night."

Bella and Paul both smiled as they paid and thanked Sue. As they made their way out into the rain, Paul smiled. "See? Even Sue knows what's bound to happen."

It took Bella a moment to get that but once she did, she pushed him as hard as she could as they laughed and he let her chase him towards her car. Bella bumped right into Paul as he stopped in his tracks. He started shaking violently.

"Paul?" Bella asked as she moved from behind him. She didn't want to get mauled by a wolf but she also wanted to see what got him so upset. Her mouth dropped as she saw it.

The dark made it difficult for her to see but every time the lightning struck, she could make out the words "nigger" and "pale face" scratched into her car.

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews, etc. :)**


	6. Chapter 4

**Please read my note at the end. :)**

**Chapter 4**

Charlie took photographs of the damage done to Bella's car. Not only were the words "nigger" and "pale face" keyed in, but the tires were flat, there were dents all over the car, and the words "Stay out of La Push" were spray painted onto the front window. Charlie couldn't believe his eyes.

Bella and Paul sat in the back of Charlie's police car. Luckily the rain had stopped but that didn't change Bella's sullen mood. She stared out the window as a furious Paul held her close to him. He had to keep biting his fist in order to quell his tremors. The only thing that stopped him from running off and phasing was the fact that Bella would be alone in the dark staring at her car. He wouldn't risk leaving her in a vulnerable position, nor would he leave her alone to deal with the damage. Not only was Paul angry at whoever did this, but he was angry at the fact that the rain washed out their scents. He had a pretty good idea about who did it but there was no way for him to know for sure now.

Charlie got into the car. "I'll take your report when we get home, Bells. I'll have to cooperate with the La Push police department since it was done here."

Bella nodded while still looking out of the window. Charlie sighed. "I'm sorry that this happened to you, kiddo. But I promise you, if I have to do it myself I'll find out who did this."

"You definitely won't have to do it alone, Charlie." Paul seemed even angrier than Bella. Not only did he hate racism, but he hated when it was directed towards the people he loved. As Native Americans, he and a lot of his family members had to deal with racism but he never saw anything like this. It enraged him and if he had anything to do with this, whoever did it wouldn't get away scot-free.

Charlie looked at Paul sternly. "Paul, you are not to get involved in this, do you hear me? I appreciate you wanting to get justice for my daughter but this is police business."

Paul nodded as Charlie started up the car. Screw that.

As Charlie pulled up to Paul's place, Paul thanked him and got out. Bella followed him to the door.

"Look, besides all of the crap that happened the last hour, I had a nice day," Bella said.

"So did I. Look, Bella…I like you…a lot. And I don't want what happened tonight to get in the way of whatever the hell it is we have here."

Bella sighed. "Well I don't really like you that much but I suppose we can continue to see each other. You know, just to make you feel better." She gave him a small smile and he grinned knowingly.

"Girl I know how you feel. I felt it all in those kisses." To emphasize his point, Paul stuck his tongue out and wiggled it around suggestively.

"Ewww!" Bella exclaimed as she laughed and pushed at his chest. Paul grabbed her hands and slowly leaned in. Charlie honked the car horn before their lips could meet. Bella smiled and pulled away.

"Goodnight, Paul."

He winked. "Night, Beautiful."

Paul didn't get any sleep that night.

* * *

The next morning, Bella lied in her bed and stared at the ceiling.

The events that transpired the previous evening almost reduced her to tears. After some years with the truck Charlie bought from Billy, Bella realized that it wasn't going to last for very long so she had to give it up. It took a lot of saving but eventually Bella was able to purchase her own vehicle and now all of that had gone to waste. She knew she could get it fixed but it would cost a lot. Insurance would probably cover it but she had an idea of who should be paying. She could take them to court. Maybe she could take them to TV court. She could take them to Judge Mathis's court room. Bella was a very private person, though, and wouldn't want her business put on television. But if she ever did go on television with this case, she would go straight to Judge Mathis. He would be on her side. She loved Judge Mathis.

She could attack the girls. It probably wouldn't take too much thinking to figure out exactly who did it. But if Bella went around attacking girls who might not have been involved, what would that make her? Even if she went after the right ones, Bella was very much a cop's daughter and didn't believe in two wrongs, especially if one of them got her arrested.

When Bella came back to Forks, she never imagined that something like this would happen to her. She expected the animosity; that was nothing new. But she didn't think that anyone would take it this far. What was so different now than previous years? She wasn't the most liked among the women in La Push but they never took it further than a few snide comments and nasty looks. Was it because of this imprinting thing? Was it because she was seeing one of the "most eligible" men in La Push? It made her think about what her mother went through all those years ago. Was it really _still_ that serious? How could stuff like this still be happening today?

While she was pondering her predicament, she heard a knock on her door.

"Bells? You awake?"

"Yeah, Dad."

Charlie opened the door slowly and walked in with what smelled like hot chocolate. Bella smiled internally. Her dad was a horror in the kitchen but when he wanted to make her feel better he managed to pull it together enough to make her some hot chocolate. Even in the summer. Gotta love him.

He set the hot chocolate on her side table and sat down as Bella sat up.

"So, how are you feeling sweetheart?"

Bella shrugged and pulled her knees up under her chin. "I didn't expect it but at the same time I'm not surprised either."

Charlie squinted in confusion. "What do you mean you're not surprised?"

"Well you already know better than I do about what happened to mom…but what I haven't told you about is all of the comments…"

"What comments?" Charlie was suddenly very alert and in chief-of-police mode. He had wanted to take a report last night but after what Bella had gone through he thought it better to do so in the morning.

"Well, it's been occurring since I moved here, actually, all of those years ago. I never told you because I didn't want you to worry. Whenever I go to La Push there are a lot of girls who don't really like it. They never did. So when I was younger and would go to hang out with Jake and everyone else, I'd always hear these comments and get these looks…"

"What comments, Bella?" Charlie felt his anger rising. He loved his daughter dearly and for the first time in a long time, he was really afraid for her. At first it was because of what happened last night but now it was because apparently this was a long time coming.

Bella felt her eyes water a little but she was determined to keep it together. She never let the hatred get to her and she wasn't going to start now.

"Well, some of the girls would say things like, 'The pale face girl needs to stay on her own side' or 'The black girl can't find one of her own so she has to come steal our men'. Just stuff like that," Bella said, all while avoiding her father's eyes. She wanted to spare Charlie so she cleaned up the statements _dramatically_. If he knew what was really said, she wouldn't be able to stop him from going to arrest all of the people who said that, even if they had nothing to do with what happened the prior night.

She dared to look at him when she heard him sigh. His hand swept over his red face as he gave this some thought. He couldn't believe that this was happening again. It brought back some very awful, painful memories.

"I really wish you had told me this sooner, Bella."

"Why, Dad? You can't do anything."

"Well I can definitely do something about what happened last night. Before I go to work I am going right over to the La Push Police Station to inform them. In the meantime, wherever you go today, you will be accompanied by an officer."

Bella's eyes popped open at that. "Dad-"

"No, Bella. I don't want to hear any arguments. Do you think it's going to stop there, at what happened last night? I am not letting you go through what happened to your mother. You will be escorted everywhere by a uniform and that's final." With that, Charlie got up and walked out.

As he walked down the stairs, Charlie had to use all of his power to keep his breakfast down. It was like reliving his nightmare from over twenty years ago. A part of him knew that he was being overprotective but the majority of him knew it was for the best. He was not going to let his baby girl hurt the way her mom did. He wasn't able to protect her mother, but he would protect her with his life.

If Bella was not "allowed" – she was using this word loosely since she was, after all, twenty-three years old – to travel without a cop, she was determined to stay home. She had nowhere to go anyway. She was a little annoyed at her father's declaration of protection but she was going to humor him since she had a feeling of what he was going through. She knew all of the specifics behind her mom's attack and she knew how much it had hurt her father. That was exactly why she would follow his wishes. A part of her was scared that his suspicions were right – that she would eventually face the same fate that her mother did. Even if that did happen, Bella was sure of one thing. She was not going to run. She was not going to leave Charlie alone to deal with the guilt and the fallout.

On the other side of the border, Paul was itching to be with Bella. After what happened, his wolf had this overwhelming need to exact revenge but to go to Forks and protect Bella at the same time. The man had the same needs. But he was currently at his Alpha's house, trying to come up with a plan. After Charlie had dropped him off at his place, Paul quickly phased and alerted his brothers of the trouble with an angry howl. Of course, Sam was upset to have been summoned out of his Leah-filled bed, but his anger couldn't match Paul's. The Alpha almost staggered back with the force of Paul's anger, anxiety, and fear. The same came from the rest of the pack when they all phased in, including Brady and Collin, who were already patrolling. Since it was past one in the morning by that time, Sam told everyone to head home and reconvene at his place at nine. He was currently regretting that decision as he faced down an angry set of wolves. But then again, he was happy they were there because that meant he spent less time planning the wedding. He loved Leah, but damn he hated flowers. And suits. And cake. Wait, no, he liked cake. He loved cake, actually. The other day when they were trying different flavors-

"Sam. Sam!"

Sam snapped out of his thoughts when a frustrated Paul shouted his name. "Could you stop thinking about banging Leah for a second and focus?"

Sam growled and Leah smacked Paul in the back of the head. "For once, I do have to agree with the jack ass. What are we going to do?" Leah asked as she rubbed her smarting hand.

"We need to take care of it ourselves."

"And what do you suggest we do, Paul, hmmm? Should we turn into wolves and destroy the humans who did this?" Sam asked sarcastically. They were running around in circles. Sam had suggested that they leave it up to the police but Paul was adamant about them needing to involve themselves. Sam was furious about what happened, and honestly, he was a bit embarrassed too—he was embarrassed that people who would do things like that actually lived in his village. He was so proud of his heritage and where he came from – but not when something like this happened. Despite his disgust, he was currently the Alpha and the oldest of the wolf pack, so he had to think logically, and not react with his emotions.

"You both are right. We should leave this up to the police but we can't be sure that they're going to do anything. We need to go to the council," Embry suggested.

"And what the hell is the council going to do?" Paul sneered.

"What the hell are you going to do?" Embry asked, just as angrily.

Jared could feel the tension rising. "Guys, chill. Embry is right. We should go to the council. They have a lot of authority here and if the police don't come through they definitely will."

"How?" Quil asked. "It's not like they can imprison whoever did this." For once, Quil was serious and put all of his jokes aside. He and his brothers weren't immune to racism. A lot of people thought that they were lowdown, good for nothing beefcakes just because they were natives. So he took prejudice seriously, especially when it came to people he loved, which included Bella. Bells was like a sister to him. Plus, she made the best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, _yummm_…

"Well they're like the law here so they can force the police to imprison people if need be," Collin offered.

"They shouldn't have to force the police to do anything. The police should be able to find out who did it and go on from there," Seth said. He was enraged. He had known Bella for quite some time. When he was younger he had a huge crush on her but then he met Lisa and was completely whipped. But his sister's best friend would always have a place in his heart so he was not going to take this sitting down. This attack on her car was like an attack on the pack and they weren't going to let anyone get away with it.

"Oh, we already know one of the culprits," Brady started. "One of them had to be that bitch Emily. You know how she feels about Bella, more importantly, how she feels about Paul and his dealings with Bella."

As the pack continued to argue this out and come up with a solution, Jacob was able to slip away quietly. He had to see her.

* * *

Bella was bored. She was tired of watching TV. She needed some stimulating conversation. She thought about calling Paul but went against it. She felt like she needed comfort but she didn't want to seem too needy. Right as Bella began to fall asleep, she heard the doorbell.

She was ecstatic when she saw Jake through the peep hole. When she opened the door, before she could even say anything Jake had her in his arms and back in the house. She buried her face in his neck and reveled in his warmth. He was exactly what she needed.

"Hey, Bells?"

"Mmm?"

"Why is there a cop sitting outside the house?"

* * *

A dozen chicken sandwiches later, Bella and Jake sat cross-legged on the couch. Jake grabbed her hand.

"I'm sorry, Bells."

She shrugged and smiled a little. "Not your fault. Though hanging out with you and your friends got me into this mess."

She meant for it to be a joke but he didn't take it that way.

"They're not going to get away with this, Bella. I promise."

She rolled her eyes. "Please don't get all caveman on me, Jacob. Just let the police take care of it. You guys can't go and beat them up or eat them or something. I wouldn't want you to, either. Can we just forget about it right now? Can we just watch _The Princess and the Frog_ and forget about it?"

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Not that movie."

"Seriously? After what happened last night you're going to deny me this?" She pouted a little.

Jake squinted and smiled a little. He couldn't deny that cute little pout. If he were being honest, he would admit that he wanted to watch that film with her. She always got all mushy and adorable. He loved it.

And so they curled up on the couch and watched _The Princess and the Frog_. That was until Bella brought up the inevitable.

"Oh, eww." She quickly moved from Jake's side.

"What?" He conspicuously sniffed his armpit. "I smell fine."

"Yeah but I highly doubt your GIRLFRIEND would appreciate us cuddling and watching a romantic movie."

He tried not to smirk. He tried really hard. "You think this movie is romantic?"

She rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at him as he laughed loudly. "Yes and shut up! I'm trying to be serious here!"

Jake sobered up. "I don't have a girlfriend anymore."

Bella's face dropped. "What? Since when? You guys seemed pretty comfortable at the beach yesterday."

"We got into an argument and broke up a bit after we left."

Bella moved a little closer. "Well you guys will get back together, right? You always do."

"Not this time. This time it's over for good."

Bella sighed and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jake."

Jake licked his lips. "I'm not."

Bella wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. So she just looked at him. He looked back at her. She didn't realize just how close he was until she felt his breath on her lips. Her eyes began to drift closed but quickly opened when the doorbell rang. She looked at Jake as he sniffed the air beside him. He rolled his eyes and got up to open the door.

"Hey Paul," Jake said cheerily.

"Hey Jake. Sure didn't expect to find you here," Paul said just as cheerily, with a hint of sarcasm.

Jake smirked and moved out of the way as Paul walked in. A little while after Jake had left Sam's place, the boys finally decided that they would let the police handle it…for now. The guys were sure Charlie wouldn't let this slip under the cracks. Sam would inform the council of the incident and let them do whatever they saw fit. But if the police or the council didn't come through, the pack would have to do something. That was what they came up with as a pack. As far as Paul was concerned, that was not enough.

After coming to their decision, the boys fucked around for a while but then Paul noticed that Jake had been gone for quite some time. The others realized it earlier and came to the conclusion that he had gone to see Bella but hadn't said anything because they knew there would be trouble if Paul realized it too. They just thought Jake would be back sooner. Of course, he wasn't, so Paul took it upon himself to interrupt 'Jake and Bells' time.

Paul smiled at Bella and glanced at the television. "Oh, I love this movie!" Paul plopped down next to Bella and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Hey Beautiful." Before she could respond, he dropped his head and took her lips in a heated, passionate kiss. She wanted to stop because she was aware of another presence in the room – one who just tried to do with her what she and Paul were doing at the moment – but her lips just wouldn't detach from Paul's! That was until Jake loudly and forcefully plopped down on the other side of her.

"Yeah, Bells and I love this movie so we decided to watch it. Right, Bells?"

"Right, Jake…" Bella answered awkwardly as she wiped her lips.

So that's how she spent the rest of the evening before Charlie came home – watching a Disney movie in the middle of two hot, sweaty, disgusting wolves. Great.

Bella mentally thanked God when she heard Charlie's keys in the door. She knew the guys must have heard him way before she did, but they made no move to show that they did.

"Hey, kids."

"Hey, Dad."

The men greeted Charlie. "Jake, I just came back from your father's place. He needs to speak with you."

Jake nodded and got up. He stretched. "Thanks, Charlie. Well, Bells, I'll call you soon." He bent down and kissed her cheek softly. Paul bristled beside her and Jake smiled internally.

"See ya Paul, Charlie." Jake strutted out the door. "Whatever," Paul thought. "I'm still here."

"So, when ya heading out, Paul?" Charlie asked. Paul frowned.

But then he heard, "Staying for dinner?" He smiled. Charlie loved him.

After pizza, beer, and a game, Charlie decided to retire to his room. He had a long day and planned on having another one so he wanted to get an early start on his sleep. He had a lot of work to do – all of which consisted of finding the idiots who dared to mess with Charlie Swan's daughter.

"Don't stay too late, Paul. Night, kids."

Bella and Paul both bid Charlie goodnight as he walked up the stairs.

Bella stared at the television as Paul stared at her.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"For what?" She looked at him.

"Last night. I wish I could tell you for sure who did it. I should have been able to tell."

Bella sighed and rubbed his shoulder. "I don't blame you for not being able to tell so don't blame yourself."

"Whoever it was…I promise you, they're not going to get away with it. They're not going to get away with hurting you. I won't let them."

Bella was touched by Paul's determination. She wasn't sure if she had ever seen him be so serious about anything. It gave her hope for a lot of things – things she wasn't even sure she wanted.

She grabbed a pillow and held it close to her. She scooted closer to Paul and rested her head on his shoulder while he wrapped his arms around her. His heart slowed when he felt how perfectly she fit up against him. His wolf purred. Soon, the purrs of contentment and satisfaction became purrs of consolation when he smelled her tears.

"Shhh," he murmured. "No one's going to hurt you. You don't need to be scared."

She sat up. "I'm not scared, Paul. I'm pissed! Shit like this shouldn't be happening today! _Especially _in La Push. You would think with all of the discrimination they face they wouldn't act this way."

Paul couldn't agree more.

"I know, Bella. But you know not everyone in La Push is like that. There are just a couple of immature brats who are mad because everyone else loves you. Don't let them anger you, baby. It's just a waste of time. Spend your time focusing on people worthy of your thoughts…like me."

Bella laughed a little through her tears. She thought Jake was what she needed when she was upset but Paul was a very close second. While Jake always comforted her with sweet words and gentle caresses, Paul did so with strengthened words and small jokes. It was a little more subtle but she knew what he was trying to do and she appreciated it. Being around him when he was like this made her feel safe. It brought out feelings she wasn't aware she had – feelings she knew she didn't want but couldn't banish.

This time, she didn't wait for him to kiss her.

She kissed him. She kissed him gently but as passionately as he kissed her earlier when he tried to claim her in front of Jake. She kissed him as passionately as she did when she tried to claim him in front of those girls at the beach.

They kissed for a really long time. And as his tongue slid against hers, she knew that this time, the passion was about something completely different. It wasn't about showing off or staking a claim. It was about her seeking comfort and offering him something. It was about him offering comfort and a whole lot more.

* * *

**Hey guys, apparently this site is beginning to remove 'M' rated stories. That's too bad because the next two chapters are…how do you say…**_**worthy**_** of the 'M' rating? Hehe. If you would like to continue reading this story, it is posted on Jacob Black n' Pack: jacobblack-n-pack (dot) ning (dot) com/groups?sort=latestActivity. My username on that site is October Skies. If my story is still on here it might take me a while to update because I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do about the next two chapters. I will post them on JBnP so you can read them there if you wish. Thanks so much for the reviews, etc. I couldn't reply personally to some people so a huge thank you goes out to everyone. And if this story does get deleted, I would just like to thank everyone so much for all of the kind words, opinions, and support. Each and every review, favorite, and alert are greatly appreciated. :)  
**


	7. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Paul and Bella had gone out every week since that night. It was now the middle of June and they were officially a couple.

At least, according to the grapevine. But Bella wasn't so sure. She enjoyed spending time with Paul. They had been on many dates so far and things were going well. _Too _well.

Bella was trying hard not to be suspicious but she couldn't help it. Throughout their time together, not once had either of them mentioned the expectation that Paul would have an imprint by the end of the summer. Bella didn't want to, but she was starting to believe that Paul wanted her to be his imprint. That was _not_ what she came here for.

But, if that was what happened, would it be so bad? These past few weeks, Paul had proven himself a worthy partner. He was an amazing support for her – he was like a citadel during the car ordeal. Unfortunately, the La Push police force had not come through like they were supposed to, and Charlie was not happy with that. He wasn't going to let them get away with just sweeping this under the rug. Bella and the whole pack had gone to the department with their suspicions on who could be the perpetrators but considering Emily's father was a revered detective there, it was highly unlikely that she would get charged. After all, they had no evidence and that's the excuse the department used. Charlie was bringing down hell on the council, which put a strain on his and Billy's relationship. Billy kept trying to convince Charlie that they were not going to let the department throw this case away, but Charlie didn't want to hear any of it until he saw some results. The pack was in complete agreement. Bella knew how Paul felt about this and she had a feeling that he was getting more involved than her father wanted him to.

Anyway, Paul had been great with Bella whenever she needed him. But it had only been weeks. What were some weeks compared to some years? Was Paul ready for that? Was _she_ ready for that? Hell, was the community of La Push ready for it? She already knew the answer to that one.

Since the night of the bonfire, she hadn't been approached by anyone like Emily but she hadn't been deaf or blind to the whispers and stares she received whenever she was in a public place. And of course there was the situation with her vehicle. She still couldn't believe that that had happened to her. In all of her twenty-three years, she had never personally encountered such a blatant display of racism and hatred. Now, when she drove her repaired car, she always thought about what her mother went through and she wondered if that was what was ahead for her. There was no way that any of the La Push residents would be okay with one of their own imprinting on an outsider so who knew what they would do if that happened?

That was why she was hoping that Paul wasn't thinking of doing anything stupid, like asking her to be with him for keeps. That was not what she wanted anyway. She just wanted to have fun and that's what they had been doing so far so she hoped it stayed that way until they went back to school.

Speaking of fun, Bella was still a virgin. Oddly enough, she was okay with that because she was making some strides. Not only had she and Paul made out a crap load of times, but they had touched and explored. That was the furthest that Bella had ever gone with anyone. If she were being honest, she would also admit that she was happy about not having sex yet because…well…Paul scared the crap out of her. To his face, she called him a little boy who wasn't mature enough for her. But in reality, she knew he was experienced and it really intimidated her. The way he made her feel intimidated her, too. He made her feel like a teenager again. He gave her butterflies and turned her on **so** much. She wasn't used to feeling that way.

She had always been the old fashioned type so she believed that she would lose her virginity to someone she was with for a long time, someone she loved. But she was okay with the fact that it might be with Paul. She might not be in love with him but he had turned out to be a really good friend.

Speaking of really good friends, there was Jake. He was always in Bella and Paul's business. He did not think that Paul was good enough for Bella and despite being in Paul's head all of the time and seeing the extent of his feelings for her, Jake still didn't trust him. Bella respected Jacob's opinion but she could take care of herself.

As Bella did a little reading, she was surprised to hear a pebble hit her window. She already knew who it was so she opened the window and sat on her bed.

"Hmmm I thought we were a little too old for this," she said as she looked at Jake.

He laughed a little. "Come on Bells, thought I would keep some of the mystery."

"Ummm not much of a mystery considering you're the only one who climbs through my window. I can't wait until I get my own place next month. That way you can come through the front door."

Ignoring her latter comment, he said, "So you mean Paul hasn't been climbing through your window?"

She looked at him as he sat in front of her. "Why does the phrase 'climb through your window' suddenly sound so dirty?"

He laughed. "Seriously, Bells. I didn't think you guys would be getting so…close."

She smiled softly. "Me neither. But don't worry. You won't get replaced."

He laughed. "You just think you're so wonderful, don't you?"

She grinned widely. "You do too."

He laughed. "Yeah, you're right."

"So…what's up?"

He shrugged. "I've just missed you. I haven't seen you too much lately because you're always with Paul."

She smiled and patted the space next to her. He sat down.

"I missed you too, Jake. How's Vanessa?"

He rolled his eyes. "I told you we broke up."

"I thought you would be back together by now."

"I told you it was for the last time. We've talked but I don't want to work it out. I've tried too many times."

Bella nodded. "So what are you going to do about the imprinting deadline? You only have two and a half months left to find your imprint." Bella laughed at this. It sounded so stupid. It was really stupid.

Jake grinned and licked his lips. The way he looked at her gave her chills. "I've had someone else in mind for a really long time now."

Bella's heart rate increased. _Shit. _"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." He bit his lip and Bella swore she had a mini orgasm. This wasn't supposed to be happening…

She knew exactly what was coming. She probably should have stopped it but she didn't.

Jacob licked his lips again and moved closer. Her breathing became labored as his heat enveloped her the closer he got.

She licked her lips. They were nose to nose before she said anything. "Jake," she whispered breathlessly.

"Bella," he whispered back before his lips covered hers.

If she hadn't known any better, she would say that his lips were made for hers. They molded together so perfectly she almost didn't know where his ended and hers began. The way he gently sucked her lips into his mouth made Bella think that she would melt into the bed. His hand wrapped around the back of her neck as he pulled her closer. When his tongue touched hers, things became all too real.

She pushed him back. "Jake." She felt like she couldn't catch her breath.

He smiled. "Bella," he whispered as he leaned back in.

She moaned and let his lips brush against hers lazily once more before she came to her senses.

"Oh no, no, no!" She pushed him back. "You have got to go." She got up and walked towards the window; he followed closely behind her.

"But, Bella-"

"No, no, no!" She grabbed him and pushed him to the window. "Goodbye!"

At this point, he had one leg out of the window. "Bella, we-"

"Goodbye!" She pushed him out and watched as he landed expertly on two feet. Thank God for werewolf reflexes…

* * *

A couple of hours later, Bella began to prepare for a weekend at Paul's place. _Yes_, she was spending the weekend there. At first she didn't feel so bad about it but now she felt like such a whore.

Just some hours before, she was letting Jake kiss her and after pushing him away, she almost went back for more. Now she was going to spend the weekend with another guy. Did that make her whore? She didn't seek Jake out…at least not before he kissed her himself. So technically it wasn't her fault. And technically she didn't have to tell Paul. She felt that she and Paul weren't an item, so, technically, it wasn't any of his business. Technically. Bella knew that it was wrong but she didn't want to inform Paul. If she did, it would be like admitting that their relationship was serious enough to tell him about someone else kissing her. She wasn't okay with admitting that. To be honest, she wanted to pretend that the kiss never even happened.

While she was deciding what to do, Bella heard a knock at her door.

Charlie slowly walked in and cleared his throat unattractively. Bella stared at him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Dad."

He sighed. "Okay. Look, I know this is coming a little late considering you guys have gone out quite a few times now, but I just never saw you going out with the Lahote kid. Don't get me wrong, I like him. I do. But I always thought…"

"That it would be Jake. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You and Billy thought so, I know. That would be awkward, Dad. How weird would it be for me and Jake to have you and Billy constantly in our faces about the relationship? Very. That's how weird, Dad. Very."

Charlie scoffed. "Come on, Bella. What if Billy and I promised not to intrude?"

She rolled her eyes and looked at him knowingly. As if.

"Okay, fine. Look, your old dad is just worried. But I want you to be happy. If the Lahote boy makes you happy, then…"

She smiled. "Thanks, Dad. Don't worry; when I come back we'll talk about getting you a date. That way you won't be too bothered with me."

Charlie grunted. "No, no, no. Just go enjoy yourself. I won't wait up."

Bella chuckled. She knew exactly how to make him feel uncomfortable enough to leave her alone. She kind of meant what she said, though. Bella was so tired of seeing her dad so lonely. Of course he never admitted it out loud, but she knew he couldn't be fulfilled with just working and hanging out with Billy and their friends every weekend, or butting his nose in his twenty-three-year-old daughter's business. He needed the love of a good woman. A woman like her mom.

* * *

Paul walked the roads of La Push. He decided to go to the supermarket to stock up for his weekend with Bella. He was so fucking excited that she was staying over. The past month had been incredible and he couldn't wait to have her in his bed. Shit, they didn't even have to have sex. Just as long as he got to hold her he would be okay.

God, he wanted to vomit. She made him feel like such a pansy.

As Paul entered the supermarket, he thought about all of the fun things he and Bella could do during the weekend. Though he was distracted with these thoughts, he definitely was not immune to all of the lustful stares he was receiving from the women (and some men) in the supermarket. Every time one of the women made eye contact, he gave them his signature smirk and kept it moving. Although he really liked Bella, he also still really liked the attention he got. These girls couldn't compare to his girl but he didn't hate getting noticed. What was really pathetic was that they knew he was seeing Bella but still tried to get his attention. Some did this by staring and winking, or touching him softly as he passed by. Many did it by sending him presents. With the imprint selection in process, women were sending Embry, Jake, and Paul gifts non-stop. Not only did he receive extremely ridiculous love letters, but he usually got soiled panties, cologne, packages of boxers and briefs, edible and glow-in-the-dark condoms, and one woman was even bold enough to send him her address and the key to her place. Damn.

He knew that if he were younger he'd be savoring this. He'd be burying his head in those soiled panties and strutting into houses like he owned them. But ever since he entered his junior year of college he sensed this change in himself. He wasn't exactly sure what it was but it was like he knew that there was a higher calling for him. His father had been bugging him to "become a man" and to "be more mature". Sometime after the summer before his junior year all of his father's lectures finally got to him. Maybe it was the fact that he really was growing up – soon he knew he would graduate and move on to law school. He really had to get his shit together. That included his sex life. Sure, he still had sex with the random girl every so often to blow off steam but he was just going through the motions until he found the right woman for his new self. A part of him had known since his junior year who that woman was; he was just waiting for her to come around.

Then there was his wolf. Paul figured that part of the reason he felt a change in himself was because his wolf was ready to settle down. He had fun sleeping around for his first few years out but now he wanted a steady mate. Both he and his wolf knew it was Bella. At first, his wolf wasn't exactly fond of her. He didn't like the idea of her constantly turning down Paul's advances. He felt that he and his host were too good to be turned down, so he wanted Paul to forget about Bella. At the same time, he liked the challenge that Bella presented so he wasn't completely closed to the idea of her and Paul getting together. The wolf was confused. He didn't like being confused; it made him whine in protest. That was why Paul always disappeared so often whenever Bella was in town – his wolf needed to run off his frustration. But the more Paul got to know Bella over the years, the more the wolf got to like her. He grew a certain attraction towards her. Not only was she hot, but she smelled fertile which was excellent, according to the wolf. But she also seemed like she would be a strong mate. The man and the wolf _loved_ that. They loved the idea of having a strong woman by their side. They also loved going toe to toe with her – when she wasn't turning them down. It set the wolf on fire. The only problem was that the wolf also wanted a mate who would submit to him. At the end of the day, he was the alpha male and his female needed to accede to his command. That was difficult with Bella but the wolf took her dating Paul as submission. That would be enough…for now.

As Paul was packing beef hot dogs into his cart, he got a whiff of tainted blueberry muffins behind him. _Shit_, it was Emily.

Paul was still pissed about what she and her friends did to Bella. He had no way of proving it but he knew it. He sensed it. He sensed it whenever he and Bella were around them. He felt their anger, jealousy, and oddly enough, their feelings of defeat. He knew that had to mean something. He wasn't happy with anyone messing with his intended mate so he had to find a way to avenge her car. Even though the car was fixed he knew her peace of mind was not. The only problem was that he didn't know what to do.

According to Sam, they couldn't dispose of humans, which, Paul guessed, made sense. The police sure as hell weren't doing anything. Emily's bastard of a father made sure of that. Billy was outraged at what happened – not only was Charlie his best friend, but Bella was like a daughter to him. He had been around when Renee and Charlie had to deal with racism and it angered him then but it was worse now because he would like to think that conditions improved in La Push since then. He thought that his council set an example of how to be respectful to others and their cultures, especially with all of the prejudice they had to face themselves. He knew his best friend was really going through it and he wanted to solve this for him and Bella. Paul believed that but what could the council do short of harass Emily? That would just get them all arrested…well, maybe not arrested because they were the _council_ but it wouldn't get them anywhere good. The council may have been having a hard time but Paul and his brothers had a lot of influence among the ladies in La Push…how difficult would it be for them to get some information?

At the present moment, Paul considered using his werewolf speed to escape from Emily but no matter how much she annoyed the shit out of him, he wasn't willing to give up the pack's secret to evade her. And he needed to at least speak with her. He was pretty sure she wouldn't incriminate herself but maybe if he charmed her enough, eventually she'd slip up.

He felt her hand on his back. "Hey, Paul."

He sent a silent prayer to Taha Aki and turned around. "Emily."

"Did you get my gift?" She smiled coolly.

"Oh yeah. I got the panties. Come over sometime and get them back."

She laughed. "You're too much Paul. So I see you're shopping for food."

"No shit," Paul thought.

"Maybe I can come over and cook something for you sometime?" Emily asked.

"No thanks. Bella's a great cook."

Emily rolled her eyes. "I was really hoping those rumors about you guys weren't true."

"What's it to you?" He hated it every time one of the girls did this. Who he dated was none of their business. Paul didn't answer to anyone…except Bella. _Fuck_.

"Look, I know she can probably…satisfy you with all of that…spunk, or whatever, but when are you going to stop messing with her? You need to pick your mate pretty soon and I'm sure that it cannot be her."

Paul felt the tell-tale heat quickly rolling down his spine. He told himself to fight it because he had to get to Bella soon. He didn't think he could do that if he were held captive by the government for turning into a huge wolf in the middle of a supermarket.

Paul expelled a large breath. "Emily, who I choose to be my imprint is none of your business, especially since it is not going to be you. So don't worry about it. Goodbye, have a nice day."

Paul walked away. He thought he had it in him to charm Emily enough to get some information but he couldn't look at her without wanting to phase, especially when she said ignorant shit like that. Hopefully, given some time he could get himself together enough to flirt some information out of her? _Haha_, Paul laughed out loud as he walked home. Yeah, right. For Bella, he'd try though.

* * *

Bella walked into Paul's unlocked house to hear him singing his very own rendition of "In Those Jeans" by Ginuwine. Bella grinned widely and couldn't help but think that if he played his cards right, that night could be the very night he got in her jeans. _Yum_.

It wasn't like she hadn't imagined it already. The fact that he usually ran around his house half naked didn't make it any easier for her to avoid imagining it. But when he kissed her…God, when he kissed her it was like her tongue was swimming in a pool of melted caramel. He tasted _so_ good…every time…and since, according to Paul, she always tasted like chocolate, she figured they were the perfect match.

And she completely lost herself in his caresses. Every time his hot hands, lips, or tongue touched her she got chills. Ironically, the only things that could eradicate the chills with their heat were those very same touches. She loved it. She thought that she could never get tired of that feeling. It made her imagine how it would feel to move on from simple caresses and kisses to full blown grabbing, biting, scratching, thrust-

"Babe?"

"Huh?" Bella looked up abruptly to see a concerned Paul. She didn't even realize that he stopped singing and came out of his studio. She laughed in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about something."

He laughed a little and bent down to kiss her softly on the lips. "Ready?"

She nodded and followed him as he led her to his studio.

After Paul was born, his parents moved into a three bedroom house. They planned to have two children and thought the place would be perfect. When Paul's mother died in a car accident, Paul's father gave up on ever having children with anyone else. To deal with his mother's death, a six-year-old Paul had begun painting. When his father discovered that Paul had a real knack for it, he converted the extra room to an art studio for him. Because this painting was an outlet for Paul to express his grief, his father wanted to provide whatever he could for him, so he didn't mind giving him his very own space to complete his work. Twelve years later, Paul still used it whenever he stayed at his dad's place. But, since fixing up his own place on the reservation, Paul used his spare bedroom as another studio.

The only time Bella had been in there was on her fourth date with Paul when she watched him paint. That day, he completed a beautiful painting of her that was now hanging on her bedroom wall. It was filled with so many colors, contours, and most importantly, so much _passion_. Sometimes she couldn't believe that a twenty-one-year-old kid was making her feel how she felt but when he painted like he did, talked like he did, and touched her like he did; he didn't seem so young after all.

Whereas she was a voyeur last time, this time she planned on painting with him. Therefore she brought along a probably much needed change of clothes.

"So, first, we're going to need our painting music." She smiled. As she witnessed last time, his painting music was more like _panting_ music, as in, baby-making slow jams and a little bit of jazz. But she definitely wasn't complaining. According to him, songs like "Let Me Love You Down" by Ready for the World helped him paint her better.

After he turned the music on, he dimmed the lights and let the sun illuminate the room and his numerous canvases. "Come here, Beautiful." She walked over and sat on a stool. He stood behind her and grabbed her hand. Together, they grabbed a paint brush and dipped it into the green paint. He lifted their arms and put the brush to the paper.

"We'll start with something easy," he whispered in her ear. She felt a chill go down her spine. She had to fight the shiver that threatened to overtake her whole body.

He leaned his head against hers and wrapped his left arm around her waist as his free hand slowly led hers in applying specks of green paint to the paper in front of them. He used their fingers to smudge the paint. After dipping the brush in water and then in brown paint, they repeated the process in the middle of the green areas. After a couple of repeats with orange and red paint, Bella smiled as she looked at the finished product. It was a depiction of a horizon over some trees and grass surrounding a slim road.

"That's beautiful, Paul."

He smiled. "Good job."

She laughed. "Oh stop it, you did it."

"We did."

She smiled. "I like doing this. It's fun."

"Cool. Let's do another one."

A couple of hours and some Chinese food later, the two ended up on the floor with dirty hands, dirty clothes, and a supply of beautiful (and on Bella's part, not so beautiful) paintings.

At Bella's insistence, the two took a food break only to continue on afterward with the techniques that Paul was teaching her. He taught her about oil painting, ink and wash, and glaze, among other techniques.

"You're getting better, a lot better."

She laughed. "Lies."

He smiled softly and lied on his back, staring at her. Seeing this as a rare opportunity, Bella took a paint brush, dipped it in green paint and slowly applied it to his cheek. He stayed still and watched her silently as she continued. She tried to stop her hands from shaking as she continued to put the paint on his red cheeks. Her gaze never met his as she slowly slid the brush down from his jaw to his neck, then to the top of his chest. She saw and heard him inhale sharply as her orange-tipped brush slowly circled his left nipple. She licked her suddenly dry lips as she led the brush over to his neglected nipple. She dared to look up at him and sensed not just the heat radiating from his body, but from his gaze.

His breathing was shallow as she continued her path down his stomach. She outlined his six pack and then made a slow trail down to his shorts. His breathing hitched as he felt his cock twitch with her proximity. He was slightly disappointed when she moved from his stomach to his hand, and as soon as she did, he grabbed hers. "My turn," he murmured as he sat up, leading her to lie down on her back as he hovered over her. He intertwined their fingers and slowly removed her brush from her hand.

He felt his cock harden even more as she looked up at him with those innocent, trusting, dark brown eyes. He felt his heart swell with whatever it was that he was feeling for her – love, lust, all of it. Whatever it was, she was making him feel it and it felt so fucking good. It felt so fucking right.

He dipped the brush in the red paint and began to paint shapes and patterns across Bella's face. He paid extreme attention to the detail of the flowers, hearts and stars he painted on her dark cheeks. He knew it was serious now. He was painting flowers and hearts.

As the brush moved down her neck, over her quick pulse, and to her chest, Paul tentatively traced patterns right above the dip in her V-neck shirt, not asking for permission but hoping she'll grant it. Almost without hesitation, she sat up a bit and removed the shirt. "Wouldn't want to get the shirt too dirty," she whispered breathlessly.

He swallowed thickly and in the next second, threw the brush aside. If he was going to touch her breasts, it was going to be with his hands.

Dipping two of his fingers in the purple paint, Paul let some of the paint drip slowly onto the available skin of Bella's left breast before rubbing it excruciatingly slow. He didn't know how far she was willing to go so he did not make any move to remove her bra. His fingers applied white paint to her right breast and with werewolf speed, he dipped his fingers into her bra and took them back out. His enhanced hearing enabled him to hear the subtle gasp. Damn, she noticed.

Reluctantly abandoning her chest, Paul grabbed the brush and tickled her with it as he went back to creating shapes and patterns, now on her stomach. Her breathing faltered as Paul's brush dipped into her belly button and then swept across her stomach, right above her pants. Unlike Bella, Paul kept his brush there and swept it back and forth. Trying to take a very subtle but deep breath, Bella decided to make the first move.

Paul's nose was overwhelmed with the most wonderful, sweet scent when Bella unbuttoned her jeans and began to slide her pants off. Being the kind guy that he was, he decided to help her and pull the pants the rest of the way off. His dick throbbed and he wanted so badly to remove his own pants, but he still wasn't sure how far she wanted to go and he didn't want to ruin this.

Instead of using the brush, he took a can of red paint and poured it slowly across her thighs. She felt a rush of wetness in between her legs, and not just because of the paint.

He slowly massaged the paint into her thighs and looked up at her through hooded eyes. She hoped the slow jams playing masked her pathetic pants but with his hearing, she knew she was out of luck. Soon enough, she didn't care. His touch lazily traveled from her thighs to her knees, where he quickly grabbed her and slid her across the floor, into his lap, forcing her to sit up. She squeaked in surprise. She definitely wasn't expecting that, but she liked being in touching range again. He dipped his head and licked her shoulder as she dipped her fingers in the black paint and grabbed his face. She kissed him with everything she had. She buried her fingers in his hair as his tongue teased hers. She used his distraction to grab the can of purple paint and quickly pour it down his back.

"Fuck," he swore as the paint slid down his sweaty back. All of a sudden it felt too hot in there.

His eyes darkened and he looked at her seductively as his teeth nipped at her left bra strap. Without any warning, he quickly turned her around on his lap and grabbed the can of brown paint. He slowly poured it over the front of her body, watching as some of it slid into the left side of her bra, and down her body, dripping onto the floor between her thighs. Her head fell back onto his shoulder as she felt another flush of wetness hit her. Her core felt like a sea at this point. She had never been so turned on in her life.

His tongue licked the paint-less side of her neck as his left hand traveled down the left side of her body, dragging the brown paint with it. Every piece of skin he touched felt white hot, especially with the aide of the slightly warm paint. His hand continued to rub the paint into her skin until he reached her underwear. The paint stained her panty as his hand found her clit from outside and begun to rub it tortuously slow. Her hips began to move in rhythm with his hand, causing her ass to rub against his cock from its spot on his lap. His hot breath was in and out of her ear the whole time as his hand caressed her mound expertly. Desperate for a release, Paul lifted her slightly and pulled his shorts down halfway, enough to expose his dick for some skin to skin contact but not enough to completely freak her out. She continued to move her hips and ass against him, moaning when he groaned and moved his hand faster. She thought it was good when she did it herself but the feelings she got as she exploded from his hand alone scared the shit out of her. Cum shot out of his dick as he heard the seductive moan that left Bella's mouth as she came. "Fuck," he panted, not only because of his orgasm, but because he realized he had to go clean up. He didn't want to freak her out with his sticky cum.

"I'll be right back. Don't move!" With werewolf speed, he ran to the bathroom and quickly cleaned his penis and thighs of semen, but not paint, careful not to destroy her work. He looked at his flushed face in the mirror and smiled. _Oh yes. This was the best day of his life. _He went back to find her lying on the floor with her bra and panty intact, looking as beautiful as ever. He walked back over to her, got on the floor, and continued painting her body like nothing ever happened.

They spent the rest of the night using each other as canvases.

* * *

**Whatever. It's a fantasy. -_- Lol.**

**If the story gets removed for this very innocent scene, please know that it is posted on Jacob Black N' Pack and Tricky Raven. Thank you to the reviewers who suggested Tricky Raven. **

**Thanks so much for the reviews, etc. **


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Paul woke up with a deep ache in his neck and back.

But he wasn't sorry.

He never knew that he could have that much fun painting…and he never knew he could have that much fun with a half-naked girl without having full out sex. Last night was the closest they had ever come and it felt so good. Just like the feelings she gave him.

He didn't know how far she wanted to take this relationship but he wanted it all. After just a month he was sold.

He felt like such a chick. But he didn't care.

There was nobody like her. She was the perfect balance of innocent and dangerous. He wasn't huge on talking about himself but she made him feel like if he ever wanted to, she'd be there to listen. She was interested in knowing about him, but she never forced it. He liked that.

But she also never let him get away with anything. She called him on his shit and he found it so damn sexy. She wasn't afraid to argue with him. Most girls were too scared of him or didn't give a shit enough to try.

She was also so strong. She didn't care about all of the stares she and Paul got when they were together around La Push. She didn't give a shit about the snide comments that she received whenever her back was turned. Sometimes they even came when she was looking straight at the talkers. Whereas Paul would quickly lose control, she wouldn't, and he liked that. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he needed someone who wouldn't react aggressively like he would; he needed someone who would be able to calm him down and she has proved that she can be that person for him.

He also needed someone who would arouse him like no other and by what took place the previous night, he knew without a doubt that it was her. He didn't doubt it before but when he got turned on enough to let her pour paint all over him, he knew he was done for.

As she stirred from her spot on top of him, he wasn't sure of what he was feeling, but he definitely was not reluctant to call it love.

She sat up slowly and stretched. He rubbed her back to remind her that he was there. She smiled.

"Good morning."

"Good morning. How'd you sleep?"

She laughed a little. "Probably better than you did seeing as how you were my pillow and your pillow was the floor."

He laughed. "But it was so worth it, baby. So worth it."

She blushed and looked at her feet. "I still can't believe we wasted all of that paint on ourselves." She looked down at her bra and panty. "You even ruined my favorite lace set." She pouted.

Paul smirked and sat up. "I'll make it up to you," he said as he pulled her bra strap down and kissed her shoulder, not breaking eye contact with her.

Heat rose in a couple of places on her body. Before she lost her nerve, she got up, hoping he would get the hint, and made her way to his bathroom.

He didn't disappoint.

A couple of seconds later, he caught her just as she was sliding her underwear down. Without fully turning around, she looked at him over her shoulder and threw it at him. He caught it in his mouth. She giggled and stepped in the shower.

_Fuck._

He drooled and dropped the panty along with his shorts. He couldn't believe this was actually happening! He had the woman of his dreams, _naked,_ dirtying up _his_ tub with _his_ paint, and what was he doing? He was standing outside of the shower like an idiot, drooling all over the floor.

He almost skipped all the way to the shower door. He stood there just watching for a second. He felt like a voyeur as he watched the water slowly glide down her body, mixing with all of the colors present on her skin. His penis immediately rose to the occasion. He didn't want to waste any more time.

He stepped into the shower behind her. He could hear her heartbeat increase significantly and he could see the goose bumps hatch on her skin despite the heat of the shower.

Grabbing the soap from her, he whispered in her ear, "I don't think there's enough soap in the world to clean us up."

She bit her lip and he almost busted a nut right then. "Well then I guess we'll just have to make do with what we have."

He licked his lips and looked down at her perky breasts. The closest he came to seeing them was yesterday but she never took off her bra. Paul had a good idea about what they looked like but he never imagined that he would get so hungry looking at them. Her nipples looked like large chocolate chips on top of bouncing chocolate balls. Before he knew it, his tongue came out and he could see the right chocolate chip coming closer…and closer…and –

"Paul?"

His eyes snapped up to find Bella looking down at him with a slightly amused and a slightly freaked out expression. "Ummm what are you doing?"

"Uhh…" He stepped back a little and laughed lightly, scratching his green cheek. Luckily, she didn't catch the blush under the paint. "Just looking, cutie." He winked and smirked cockily. Nice save, Paul. Nice.

She nodded a little and smiled. "Well if you wanted to look, all you had to do was say so." She turned around and he got a full view, not only of her beautiful bouncing balls of chocolate, but of her…

_Fucckkkk._

Before he could drop to his knees and show her exactly where his tongue longed to be, she grabbed his hand that held the soap and placed it on her chest. "If you're going to hold the soap you might as well clean me off with it."

He wanted to cry. He didn't know where this sexual confidence was coming from but he was proud of her. He was so proud, especially because he was the one who got to reap the benefits.

Bella knew somewhere deep down inside that her real self was nervous as fuck. But this slutty version of her felt so empowered. She was happy to have finally been released, especially with such a gorgeous, steaming hot spectator. She could tell he was about to swallow his tongue watching her. And she loved it. She loved feeling so desirable.

His hand slowly circled the soap over her right breast. She bit back a moan as she stared at his focused and determined face. Without warning, he turned her around and pushed her gently against the cool shower wall. She gasped harshly as his tongue suddenly slid out and flicked her clean nipple. Her breathing became labored and she moaned as he sucked it into his mouth. Damn it, she was such an amateur. He was bound to figure it out with her enhanced reactions. "Calm down, Bella," she thought. "Calm the fuck down!"

As he sucked and bit at her right breast, his left hand cleaned her left breast expertly with the soap. She liked multi-taskers. That was hot. Soon enough, his mouth found her left breast and this time, she was expecting it so she didn't completely flip. "Good girl," she thought. "Good."

But she did flip when she felt a finger at her opening. She almost keeled over. A very low moan left her throat and she knew he could hear it when she felt him smile on her now semi-clean stomach. It gave her butterflies. She leaned her head back in bliss when she felt his tongue swirl around her belly button. When he removed his finger from her opening and his thumb from her clit, she thought he was done. Boy was she wrong. "Whoa!" She exclaimed when she felt a long lick from the back of her core all the way to her clit. She almost fell over him but his hands moved from her hips to her stomach to keep her up.

He chuckled darkly. "You really have no idea what you're in for." With that said, he dug in.

Her breath caught—for a second she forgot how to breathe, and if he wasn't a werewolf with such a secure grip on her stomach she would have missed out on all the fun when she fell over. She grabbed his head and ground against his mouth in ecstasy. She had never felt like this before. He soon took her thighs into his hands and put them over his shoulders. Therefore, the only things holding her up were his shoulders and his hands. She was in heaven.

His tongue moved from inside of her to her clit, which he quickly sucked into his mouth. She let out a strangled scream and thought it couldn't get any better until one of his arms wrapped around her while one of the fingers from his free hand slipped into her folds. Her head hit the wall as a silent scream and a mind-blowing orgasm overtook her senses. She shook on top of him and he absolutely didn't let her fall. Not until he got up and was able to catch her in his arms.

His lips curled up into a genuine smile as he held her against him and rubbed her back. The sight of her falling apart on top of him was probably going to be etched into his memory forever. As he held her, the tip of him was snuggled up against her opening and he was trying so hard not to just shove it on in. When he was down there, he smelled something particularly sweet…like cherries. He didn't realize it at first, but after some extended time downtown, and after studying her reactions, he figured it out. She was a virgin. He couldn't fucking believe it. How had someone as hot as her never been taken? Then he thought about it. She was always such a good girl. She had a wicked attitude but she was innocent. He figured someone like her was probably waiting for the right guy. But, since she was in the shower with him, did that mean she thought that he was the right guy? Or did she usually do this with guys without actually having sex? The latter seemed extremely unlikely but now he was curious. Even if it ended up being true, he was not one to judge with his history. He just wanted to make sure she was the only man she ever did anything like this with again.

Paul was jolted out of his thoughts when he felt her moving back a little. In the process, her pussy rubbed up against his cock and he bit back a pathetic moan. She smiled sweetly and he knew those lips were just begging to be kissed. She reached up a little as he leaned down and covered her plump lips with his own. Their tongues played together roughly and his cock hardened so much it hurt. He needed a release.

Quickly, Paul lifted Bella up into his arms until her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist. He then moved his hands to her hips and moved her up and down against his shaft while he ground against her. "Mmmm Paullll," he almost came when he heard her. Her breathless moans and hot pants in his ear spurred him on as he moved faster. He pushed her back against the wall and placed his hands on either side of her head as he continued. Wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer, she ground harder against him, willing to do most of the work. She couldn't believe how good he was making her feel. She couldn't wait until they did the real thing. She even brought her book, _Kama Sutra of Sexual Positions_ for the occasion. You know, just to introduce some ideas. But she thought with how good this was they probably wouldn't need it.

She left her thoughts when she heard a guttural, erotic groan come from him as she felt his dick throb viciously against her. His head fell back, his eyes closed, and his mouth fell open as he came. The look and feel of him gave her her second orgasm as she shoved her tongue in his mouth. They both moaned and slowed their movements as they came off of their high. He let her down gently and she wobbled a little before he held her up against him. Right before she closed her eyes, she realized that he was still covered in loads of paint.

Oh well.

* * *

A few hours after making out relentlessly in Paul's living room, Paul and Bella relocated to the local hangout, the beach. Of course they would run into Jacob.

"Hey guys," Jake said with a smile as he looked at Bella. She suddenly felt really uncomfortable.

"Hey Jake. Here by yourself? That sucks," Paul mentioned. Jake laughed.

"Actually I'm here with Embry and his new friend, Chelsea."

Embry waved at Paul and Bella from afar. Paul chuckled. One down, one more to go. Not that Embry was much competition anyway.

"So you and Vanessa still haven't worked it out, huh? I thought you guys were meant to be," Paul said.

Jake shrugged. "Not so much. She isn't the one for me." Jake looked at Bella meaningfully before looking back at Paul. She felt heat rise to her cheeks. This was not a good situation. She didn't want Jake to rub the kiss in Paul's face. No telling what would happen if he found out about it, especially in a crowded area.

Paul nodded. "Well the beach is pretty crowded today. Maybe you can go find yourself an imprint. Come on babe," Paul said as he grabbed Bella's hand and walked off to another spot. Bella was happy to be out of that situation but she couldn't help but wonder about what she was leaving behind.

Jake smiled. Paul was in for a huge surprise if he thought that his relationship with Bella was secure. Even if she didn't want to admit it, she kissed him back. That meant something. A kiss always meant something.

Hours later, Paul and Bella were still on the beach. So was Jake. Embry and Chelsea left a little while before. Bella enjoyed her time with Paul immensely but she the whole time, she felt like someone was watching her. She knew it was Jake. He'd pretend to read – her favorite book, _Crime and Punishment_, no less – but every time she turned around she caught his eye. The look he gave her every time made her hesitate. She felt like she was being stalked…not in a creepy, Edward Cullen kind of way. It was kind of hot.

It was beginning to get dark out when Paul received a phone call from his father.

"Fuck," he murmured as he hung up.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked.

"My dad needs me to go help him with something. You're staying over tonight, right?"

Bella nodded. "I guess I can walk you there before I go but I'm not sure how long I'm going to be there and I don't want to leave you alone…"

"I'll keep her company," Jake offered as he walked up to them. Bella began to panic. She hoped neither of them sensed that.

"I couldn't help but overhear," Paul rolled his eyes, "and I wouldn't mind hanging out with Bella for a little while and then taking her back to your place. That'll be cool. Right, Bells?"

She nodded slowly. "Uh…yeah…cool."

Paul didn't like this. He wasn't going to give Jake a chance to butt his way into his and Bella's pending relationship.

"No, that's okay. I'll be fine taking her back."

"But you shouldn't leave her by herself for so long. I mean, with all of the shit that's happened I wouldn't want to leave her by herself."

Jake had him there. Paul wouldn't forgive himself if something happened to Bella while he was away.

"Well, she can come with me to my dad's house."

Bella rolled her eyes and stood up. "Guys, I'm right here, I can decide for myself. Paul, you go ahead and go to your dad's place. Jake and I will hang out for a little while and then he'll take me back to yours. It's no big deal."

Paul rolled his eyes. Jake grinned. "Alright, see you around Paul. Don't worry, I'll return her safely."

Bella sighed. This was ridiculous. Paul looked at Bella and pulled her into him. If he was going to leave her with Jake he was going to give her a reason to miss him.

Bella didn't expect the kiss that Paul planted on her but she wasn't exactly surprised either. She knew he was trying to mark his territory. And the way that he sucked on her tongue, she figured he was doing a pretty good job. She could almost feel Jake's annoyance without even looking at him.

After making love to her mouth, Paul pulled back and laid a couple of sweet, innocent kisses on her lips. Bella almost laughed.

"I'll catch you later, Beautiful. Don't eat; I'll pick something up for dinner." Paul looked up at an annoyed Jake and smirked. "Catch ya later, Black." Jake visibly relaxed when Paul was out of sight.

"Finally, alone."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Please, Jake. If you think you are going to plant another one on me you are quite mistaken."

Jake smiled and stepped into Bella's personal space. She couldn't step back even if she wanted to.

"You can complain all you want, Bells," he started as he slid his finger up and down her arm. "But you kissed me back. _Passionately_, I might add. I felt it," he leaned closer and took a huge whiff of her neck before licking it slowly. "And I smelled it."

Bella's knees shook and her skin felt like it was on fire. _Holy shit_. What was he doing to her?

Jake stepped back. "So, what do you want to do? We could play cards or we could go to Paul's. What do you say we take another dip in the ocean?"

Before Bella could answer, Jake was running towards the ocean.

_Damn_, this was going to be a long night.

After an hour of shameless flirting on Jake's part and attempt at avoidance on Bella's, the two grabbed their things and headed towards Paul's place.

"So when are you going to stop messing around with Paul?"

Bella sighed dramatically. "Why? So you and I can get together?"

Jake nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Funny how all of this is coming after you and Vanessa broke up."

"Well yeah. I wasn't going to approach you while I was still in a relationship."

"I just find it interesting that after all of the years we've known each other, you're only expressing interest now."

On that note, Jake and Bella reached Paul's house. The lights were off so Bella knew Paul wasn't inside as Jake pushed her up against the door.

"I've always had feelings for you, Bells," Jake began. "I just feel like this is the perfect time for us. I mean, I'm free…you're free…we have this imprinting thing going on…"

Bella heard car brakes in her head. _What?_

"Wait a second. You're not thinking about asking me to be your imprint, are you?"

Jake shrugged. "Why not? We're perfect for each other Bells, whether or not you see it. And I will spend these next two months proving it to you if I have to."

At this point, Jake was standing inches away from Bella. They were breathing the same air. She was so hot and she almost felt like she couldn't breathe. The way he was making her feel was too much for her. The way he was looking at her was too much. This was all just too much. She'd run if half of her stuff wasn't inside Paul's house. Before she could stop him, Jake leaned in and left a soft, barely-there kiss on her lips before moving away. She was confused. She didn't know if she was disappointed or relieved.

She realized the reason for the short kiss when she heard Paul.

"Hey guys, right on time. Thanks for escorting her home safely, Jake."

Paul walked up to Bella and kissed her softly on the lips. Damn it. She wondered if she would catch mono for kissing two guys in the same day.

Jake grinned. "No problem, Paul." He winked at Bella. "See you later, Bells."

Jake walked off as Paul opened the door. As Bella watched Jake disappear into the darkness, she realized she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself anymore.

As Paul put some bags down on the kitchen counter, he turned towards a very quiet Bella. He knew Jacob would be screwing with her. But Jake didn't have the advantage Paul did. Bella was staying at _his_ house, using _his_ shower, and sleeping in _his_ bed. Jake had no chance.

"So my dad cooked some food for us. He figured if you were staying over this weekend I shouldn't force you to cook. Don't get used to that though."

Bella laughed a little as Paul sat next to her. As soon as he got near her he smelled something he really didn't want to. _Fuck._ She smelled like Jake. Unacceptable.

"So before we eat, do you want to take a shower?" He wiggled his eyebrows as she blushed profusely.

"Actually why don't you get washed up and I'll join you soon. I'm going to put the food away so it doesn't get too spoiled if we're in the bathroom for a long time."

Paul smiled. He liked the sound of that. "Alright." He quickly kissed her on the cheek and made his way to the bathroom.

Truth be told, Bella wasn't really in the mood to shower with Paul. Not when she was so confused.

When she came back home for the summer, she expected to have fun. But she didn't know it would be like this. She didn't know that her best friend and a guy she barely tolerated before would be fighting for her affection. This would be okay if they didn't seem so damn serious about it.

Jake just revealed that he wanted to make Bella his imprint. And she was pretty sure that at the rate she and Paul were going, he was interested in doing the same. Since when did they want this? It was all a little too much for Bella. Sure, she had always wanted to be in a relationship – she wanted to know how it felt to be loved, desired, and to offer someone else love. But if she entered into a relationship with either one of these guys, it was _for real_…that was it. She was expected to be his imprint and be with him for the **rest of her life**. Bella had only ever been with one guy and it was only for a month. Then she went from zero men to two in a matter of months. How the hell did that happen? Bella was starting to think that she should just take what she came for and leave. If only she were slutty enough to do it.

While Bella tried to figure out a solution, she didn't realize that fifteen minutes had gone by since Paul had entered the shower. He came running out as she sat down in front of the television.

"Hey, I thought you were coming?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I got caught up with this show. Are you done?"

"Just about. Unless you want me to stay in a little longer to keep you company," Paul flirted.

Bella smiled a little. "No, that's okay. I'm pretty hungry so I'm going to go in and get out quickly." She got up and went to his room to grab her stuff before going into the bathroom.

Paul sat on his bed. Jake was such a bastard. Paul was definitely going to have to give Bella a reason to forget about him tonight.

A couple hours later, after Paul and Bella ate the dinner that Paul's father made, the two made out sensually on the floor. All the while, Bella kept asking herself questions. Should she tell Paul about the kisses? Should she tell him that Jake was trying to recruit her? That's sure what it felt like. Or should she keep it to herself? Should she just say to hell with it and bang Paul on the floor right now? With the way he was kissing her, the latter seemed like the most reasonable action to take.

Paul's kisses slowly moved from her lips to her neck. Wasn't that usually a sign that a guy wanted to have sex? Was she supposed to make the next move? This was fucking hard.

His shirt was already off so she wasn't quite sure what to do next. She had to show him she was interested without straight up telling him. So…what should she do? She could slip her hands in his sweats but that would seem a little desperate, right? Plus, she wouldn't know what to do with his…member…once she had her hand on it. So maybe it was best if she stayed away from it for now.

Oh my God.

Did they even have condoms?

Wait, what was she asking? Of course Paul had condoms. It was Paul. That thought almost made her vomit. She was so happy he was less of a man whore now. That made this a little easier. She smiled to herself. Thanks, Paul.

She lazily ran her fingers through his hair as he did a whole bunch of tongue tricks against her neck. "_Ohh yeahh,_" she thought. _That felt good_. She kept stroking his hair because she had to make it seem like she was still involved as she tried to figure out what to do next. She could sit on his lap. _Yes! Good idea, Bella_.

As he moved to the other side of her neck, she stalled for a few seconds. "Damn it," she thought. "No sudden movements, Paul." After she regained her courage, she slowly sat on his lap. She could tell he was excited, not only by the hardness she felt under her but by the renewed vigor with which he attacked her neck. He began to bite it gently and she couldn't help but wonder if he was getting ready to mark her. A rush of wetness spread throughout her core at that thought. _Damn. What a freak you are, girl._

Paul slowly moved back and took a deep breath. He let it out with a growl. "Fuck, you smell so good," he almost moaned as his head slid down to her chest. He took multiple deep breaths as he licked the space between her breasts. She moaned as his tongue made its way up her neck to her pulse.

"God, Bella," Paul started, "my wolf just wants to come out and bury his head in that pretty little pussy of yours."

Bella's eyes almost popped out of her head when she heard that. This was new. She should have known Paul was a dirty talker.

"Kind of like we did this morning," Paul continued. "Did you like that, Bella? Did you like when we got on our knees and ate you 'til you came all over our mouth?"

Paul kissed his way from her chin to her ear. He flicked his tongue against it. "Hmmm? Did you like that?"

When Bella realized he was waiting for a response, she tried to exit her lust-induced haze by murmuring "Uh huh…" breathlessly.

Paul chuckled. "Yeah, we liked it too." On that note, he kissed her and pulled her impossibly closer to his body.

Bella moaned and decided that this was her chance. She pulled away from his hot lips. "So, we should look at my Kama Sutra."

Paul looked at her questioningly. "Huh?"

"Well, I figured if we're going to do this tonight, we could look for some positions in my book, _Kama Sutra of Sexual Positions_. I thought about _Fifty Shades of Grey_ but I think there are S&M things in there and I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet."

Paul stared at her. She could see a slight blush rising on his face. "Huh?"

While he was confused, and in turn mostly silent, she decided to go in for the kill.

"Also, I read online that…ummm…well, I'm pretty sure you were able to tell that I'm a virgin, right?"

He nodded slowly. He still looked really confused.

"Well I read online that the best way to lose one's virginity is in the cowgirl position…you know, so that I can control the pressure and it wouldn't hurt as much. So we're actually in the perfect position right now. Though you would need to go and grab condoms, so…"

"Wait, wait, wait! …What?"

"Well, we are going to have sex tonight, right? I mean, I thought that was where it was heading…"

Paul stared at her. He was dumbfounded. But then he laughed a little and moved her off of his lap.

"Bella," he laughed some more. She looked offended.

"Jerk," she rolled her eyes and started to get up before Paul pulled her back down next to him.

"Baby, we don't have to have sex until you're ready. I don't want you to feel like just because you're here we have to have sex. Sure, I've seen you naked…I've tasted you, I've touched you…but that doesn't mean we have to move further than that…for now." He added the last part with a wink and a quick peck to her lips.

"Now take off those pants so I can devour you."

He didn't have to tell her twice.

* * *

**Yeah, yeah, yeah…I'll admit. This was some much needed filler because the next few chapters might be a bit difficult.**

**Thanks so much for the reviews, etc.**


	9. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"So…you smell them?"

"Yes."

"Hmph."

A perpetually confused Charlie rubbed his face and sighed. He had never been quite right since he found out about the wolves a couple years ago. After all of this time, he wasn't exactly sure what first led him to realizing that something was very wrong. Charlie had always known that things were a little off in La Push. He knew that his close friends kept some huge "tribal" secret from him and he was okay with that until he realized that his daughter was getting deeper and deeper involved. Weird things began to happen with the boys in La Push – they would disappear for extended periods of time and when they came back, they'd be huge and their temperatures were off the charts. They always ran around half naked and they were impossibly strong. Charlie was curious, so when his friends, namely Billy and Harry, wouldn't come clean with him, the chief of police had to do a little snooping. It was one day when he was doing this snooping did he see the wolves. He heard a lot of laughter coming from a certain area in the woods and wanted to know why boys were messing around in those parts so late at night. When he walked closer, he couldn't believe his eyes.

Charlie had seen a lot of things in his life. But those things had _nothing _on what he saw that day.

The chief of police saw two humongous, bear-sized wolves biting and clawing at each other. Now, Charlie considered himself a sane man. So when he rubbed his eyes, pinched himself and _still _saw the wolves, he just knew he couldn't be dreaming this up. What was even crazier was that circling these wolves was a group of boys – a group of boys that looked _rather_ familiar. He recognized them as Jake, Sam, Embry, Collin, Seth, Jared, and Paul. They were all laughing, cheering, and having a jolly old time like this was _normal_. Charlie was horrified. It was like a fight club. A fight club for wolves. They were obviously enjoying themselves, until Seth spotted a blue-faced Charlie and murmured, "Oh shit." Needless to say, Charlie found out about the secret that day.

Ever since then, Charlie slept better at night knowing that the wolves were protecting everyone from vampires. Though, those first few nights were admittedly pretty sleepless for old Chief Swan. That shit really threw him for a loop.

Once he got over the initial shock, he couldn't help but think that the boys would make some excellent police officers and detectives one day. Except, unfortunately, all of the evidence gathered from their…assets…wouldn't be admissible in court.

"So you know who they are?"

"Yes," Seth whispered. They couldn't be too loud when there were police officers scrambling all over the scene.

"You know we can't use that as evidence but if you let me know who it is I can warn my guys and we'll keep an eye on them."

"Well, for one, we smell tainted blueberry muffins," Quil said as he walked up to the chief. "That's Emily for sure."

"As in Detective Wind's daughter, Emily?"

Quil and Seth both nodded as Charlie shook his head and wrote things down on his notepad.

"We also smelled wildflowers…definitely Serena Mitchell."

"What else?"

"Nothing definitive but there were a few other scents…maybe like two or three."

Charlie nodded. "Thanks, guys. Listen… I know Paul and Jake are out there looking for Bella right now so if you see her before I do, you tell her that she is **not **to return here. Not until this whole thing is taken care of. If she needs to return for any reason, she is to contact me so that I can have a uniform escort her. Do you hear me? Under no circumstances does she come back here by herself."

* * *

Paul sighed as he and Jake met up by Paul's favorite log on the beach.

"Where could she have gone? She's not at Charlie's, she's not at yours, and she doesn't seem to be here."

The two men could hardly stand the sight of each other at this point but they had to come together for a good cause. They had to find Bella and they knew the only way they could do that efficiently was if they worked together. Therefore, for now at least, they had to put their current issues with each other aside in order to take care of the woman they loved.

Paul shrugged. "I just know I'm pissed off and I can't wait to get my hands on Emily and her bitch ass friends."

Jake rolled his eyes. "I want to kill them as much as you do but you know we can't do that."

Jacob was trying to act like the true Alpha he was. He took a few notes from Sam – he couldn't react emotionally even though it was just about _killing_ him right now. Bella was hurting and his first instinct as a man and a wolf was to protect her, no matter what that entailed. But his first instinct as an _Alpha_ required him to step back, think, and react in the most logical fashion.

"And they can't keep terrorizing her like this! Or apparently they can because Emily's bastard of a father is a detective on the force." Paul was seething. The only thing keeping him from running off in his wolf form was his desire to find Bella.

"There has to be something we can do," Jake said. "This can't keep happening. I'm going to go speak to my father." Jake needed guidance right now, the type that he could only get from the chief of his tribe.

"Alright, I'll keep looking for Bella."

The men went their separate ways.

* * *

Half an hour later, Paul realized that he would have given up searching if this had been anyone but Bella.

As he searched, he thought about what they almost did a few nights ago.

Paul couldn't believe Bella was willing to lose her virginity to him. They had gotten pretty close—emotionally and physically—over the past month but he didn't expect her to want to do that so soon. He bit back a laugh as he remembered how nervous she looked when she told him about her Kama Sutra book and her desire to fuck him cowgirl style. She was too cute.

Don't get him wrong. He wanted to have sex with her. He wanted to have sex with her all up and down his house. And when she moved into her new house, he wanted to fuck her up and down there, too. You know, as a house warming gift to her. Or as a way to bless the new house. And every time he walked in, he'd be able to smell them and the evidence of their lovemaking all over the place. But he wanted it to be on her terms – the _right_ ones. That night, he had the feeling that she felt pressured to do it. He didn't know if it was because of something Jake said or because of what she and Paul had done already. All he knew was that he smelled the nerves and the uncertainty on her and he sensed she wasn't ready. But he was willing to wait. His wolf wasn't exactly on the same page with him in terms of waiting but Paul somehow managed to rein him in. To be honest, he was pleased that she wanted to lose her virginity to him – not just because he and his wolf wanted to fuck her badly (and be the first and the only to do so) but because he was happy that she trusted him. It made him happy. She made him happy. Shit, she made his wolf purr in delight. Fuck it, she was totally going to be his imprint. He just had to get her to agree. Then he'd brag to everyone that he had the best imprint in La Push. He couldn't wait to see the look on Jake's face.

He couldn't ask her just yet, though. Paul still wasn't sure about the extent of Bella's feelings for him. He knew she was attracted to him. Hell, she even liked him. But did she love him? He didn't want to put himself out there to be shot down. He wasn't about to go out like a punk. Paul needed to get a sense of how she felt before he asked her to be his for good.

And then there was the issue of Jacob Black. He knew the kid cared about Bella. Loved her, even. But Paul was the one chasing after her all of these years. What made Jake think he could just swoop in and take her when Paul finally caught her attention? Paul also felt that Jake was just on the rebound. He and Vanessa always broke up, but they always got back together in the end. There was no way in hell Paul was going to let Bella get caught up in all of their drama. She didn't deserve that.

And she definitely didn't deserve what she received a couple of hours before, at her new place. She was able to pay for the house earlier than expected and she couldn't wait to display it to their friends. She invited them all over to see it before she decorated it. Paul would never forget the look on her face as they walked in.

_A Couple Hours Earlier_

"So when are we going to christen it?"

"Christen?" Bella asked disbelievingly as Paul pulled her car up to her new place. She was so excited about it. She could hardly believe she saved up enough to pay for it. This was going to be her first home as an adult and she wanted to share this experience with her friends.

"He means have sex, Bella," Leah deduced. "All over the place."

Bella rolled her eyes as Paul and Sam laughed.

"Whatever. Let's just enjoy the peace and quiet before everyone else gets here," Bella said as she got out of the car.

The four walked up to the house. Paul and Sam felt like something was amiss but before they could say anything, Bella pulled out her keys and unlocked the door.

The friends stared in shock as the images assaulted them.

There was glass all over the floor from the broken windows in the living room. The smell of paint was stifling. It invaded their senses before they even saw the huge, black print on the white walls. Painted on them were the same words that were once on Bella's car: nigger, pale face, and Stay out of La Push. But there were also other words this time, like "whore", "slut", and "black trash".

Besides the glass and the paint, garbage decorated the halls.

Paul, Sam, Leah, and a despondent Bella were completely silent. None of them knew what to say.

In their haze, it seemed that all four were deaf to the laughter that came in behind them from the rest of their friends. It didn't matter because the laughter stopped immediately as soon as they barreled into the house.

The silence was pregnant with suspense as everyone looked around. Everything about Bella was completely still, except for the beating of her heart, the shaking of her limbs, and the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. She had never felt so uncomfortable and alienated around her friends. The heat Bella already felt under her skin multiplied as she realized how humiliating this was. Not for the first time, Bella felt truly alone.

As her eyes moved over all of the images in the room – the paint, the glass, the trash, the _destruction_ – she felt like everything was closing in on her. All of a sudden, everything was too stifling. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't do this anymore. Bella turned around and walked out.

Jacob and Paul both moved to follow her before they heard a clear, "Don't follow me."

* * *

_Present _

Billy Black stared straight ahead of him as his son finished his tale. The old chief still couldn't believe what was happening. The thought reddened the rims of his eyes.

His people had always been discriminated against. Whenever non-natives heard the term "Native American", they immediately associated it with huge, drunk, uneducated beefcakes who had no future off their reservation. Of course, the women were either Pocahontas-like damsels in distress who were saved by the white men or, as seen in the modern world, pregnant, high school drop outs who only had their beefcake, minimum-wage-earning-husbands to support them. Well, the natives really couldn't blame anyone for thinking that way, right? Since the earliest of times, Native Americans had been portrayed in the media as vicious barbarians who had to be defeated by the civilized Westerners. It wasn't much better today. Native Americans were hardly ever seen in the media but when they were, they were rarely depicted positively.

But one thing made up for this. It was the fact that the La Push natives couldn't be further from what they were depicted as on television. Not only did the majority of them finish school and move on to bigger and better things, they came back and helped their community. That could be seen clearly through the council and the wealth that they had held for years now. Even better, a number of the natives had the gene that would protect not only their tribe, but the town of Forks and whoever came through La Push. Not many people knew about this addition but it made the boys proud to know that they were able to protect their people so effectively. It made the council proud. It made Billy proud.

But this new development definitely didn't.

When he heard about stuff like this it made him unbelievably upset and disappointed. This was _his_ town. This was happening in _his_ town. A town full of people who suffered prejudice regularly. Hearing about it took him way back to Renee's incident. It was that incident that prepared Billy for his future role as the chief of La Push. He wanted to make sure that something like that never happened again, especially to the people he cared about.

Renee was one of a kind and she didn't deserve all of the years of racism and abuse she endured because of her relationship with Charlie. Billy knew that Charlie still wasn't over Renee and everything that took her away from him. So he knew he would never get over it if something like that happened to Bella. Neither would Jacob. That's why he had to prevent it.

"I will call an emergency meeting with the council." Billy shook his head sadly. "I can't even believe this, Son."

"Well, believe it, Dad. It happened. And it's the second time in a matter of weeks; it's just bigger scale. First, the car, second, the house. What's next? Bella?"

"Don't talk like that, Jacob!" Billy banged the arm of his wheelchair and looked at his son. "We will not let it get that far, Son. We have to start by figuring out who did this."

"Oh, we already know. We smelled Emily and Serena, among others."

Billy shook his head dejectedly. "Okay, well now it's a matter of finding evidence so that the Forks Police Department can take care of it. Thank God it happened there because if it happened here you know what Emily's father would do."

Jake nodded. "What if they can't find sufficient evidence, Dad? What happens then?"

Billy didn't hesitate. "The council will take care of it."

* * *

Paul felt like he was going in circles. He was about to head back to the house when he caught a glimpse of a figure up on the cliffs.

_Fuck._

He made his way up towards the cliffs. He walked up behind her slowly as not to startle her.

"I don't know why it took me so long to find you," he whispered.

"The direction of the wind."

"What?"

"The wind is going in the same direction in which you came so it blew my smell away from you."

He smiled and sat next to her, dangling his long legs off the edge. "You're so smart."

Instead of the usual witty comeback, Bella looked out at the water. Paul wasn't quite sure of what to say. He couldn't ask her if she was okay because it was obvious she wasn't.

"When is it going to end?"

He was taken aback by her voice. He didn't expect her to say anything. He didn't even know how to answer so he was a bit relieved when she continued.

"I just don't get it. Do they really feel that threatened with my presence that they feel the need to threaten me? Or try to intimidate me?

"Whenever my mom told me about the types of things that happened to her here, I never got too worried. I felt awful for her but I figured there was no way I'd be put in her position. I thought people were a little more mature these days but I guess I was wrong.

"It's just so disheartening that they can be okay with blatantly hurting and disrespecting someone like that."

She wouldn't look at him but he saw the look on her face when she said it. He could tell she was trying to be strong but she couldn't hide from him. Not from him. He saw the mask slip and when he got a glimpse of the true, demoralized expression that illustrated her real feelings, he felt a weird twinge in his chest. The air around them changed. Something inside of him changed. He had never experienced such intense feelings of protection, need, and…devotion. His wolf howled in melancholy for his true mate.

"I know I'm not the best person in the world but I don't think I deserve this. No one does. As much as I hate to admit it, it hurts, Paul. It hurts like hell."

When he saw the tears slide down her cheeks, he wasn't quite sure what to say. But he felt his wolf sit up, shake out his fur, and dust himself off. No one threatened his mate and got away with it. This fierce protectiveness was not only a new feeling for Paul, but for his wolf. They didn't even feel this way when they were fighting off vampires to defend the tribe. This was completely different.

Paul's wolf was currently battling with himself. On one hand, he wanted to avenge his mate. On the other, he just wanted her to lie down so that he could curl his whole body around her and shield her. Shield her from _them. _From Jake. From the injustices of the world. From everything. The man was going through the same struggle.

So he just held her. He shielded her, at least for the moment. He hoped that she felt it and he hoped that it was enough.

For now.

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews, etc. :)**


	10. Chapter 8

**Warning: Violence.**

**Chapter 8**

Bella was in a bad mood.

Her head hurt.

Her heart hurt.

Shit, everything seemed to hurt.

She was still _so_ angry.

The night of the break in, after she cried on Paul's shoulder, he took her back to his place, undressed her, and kissed her everywhere his lips could touch. She felt like something was different between them. It almost felt like something was in the air – something like static…some type of newer, fresher attraction.

If she weren't so upset, she'd like to think she would have given more thought to what it was. But she wasn't in the mood.

She wasn't in the mood a few nights ago.

She wasn't now.

Bella had taken to avoiding La Push as much as she could, which was surprisingly easy despite all of the wolves who tried to get her to change her mind, namely Paul and Jacob. But since that night, she feigned busyness – busy with her job, busy with Charlie, busy, busy, busy.

But in all honesty, Bella just didn't want to be in La Push. She didn't really want to look at anyone who was from La Push. She knew how harsh that sounded but she just was hurting, more than she thought she would. The phrase "stay out of La Push" was constantly fresh in her mind. At the moment, she didn't want anything to do with La Push – she didn't want any reminder of it and she just didn't want to be there. Therefore, she avoided it like the plague.

Until today.

She _had_ to go today – why? Well of course it was because she had to attend a meeting for Leah's bridal party. As the maid of honor, Bella had an obligation to be there. She never backed down from her obligations so she made an exception.

But only today.

She would never admit this, but she was afraid to go back there. Maybe not physically, but emotionally. She was afraid of facing people in La Push, even people who didn't know her. Maybe it was paranoia, but she felt like everyone would look at her and just _know_. They would all just _know_ what happened to her house. They would all just _know_ all of the awful things that were painted on her walls.

Even worse, they would all just_ know_ that all of the things painted on the walls were **true**.

But they weren't true, were they? She couldn't possibly be a "nigger". Right?

Technically, she was a paleface…but that wasn't all there was to her…right?

She definitely wasn't a _whore_…though the lines between angel and vixen were getting blurry lately.

But she knew for one that she definitely wasn't trash. That wasn't Bella at all.

Sometimes, when she imagined stepping foot in La Push for the first time since that day, she imagined people looking at her like she was trash. They would know that that word was painted on her walls and that it was true. Maybe some people would even spit on her like she was trash. Kick her. Shove her.

Then she imagined that people would look at her in pity. Those people would mostly be her friends. A part of her felt like that might have been worse. Pity. _Gross._ She didn't need it. She didn't want it. That was one of the reasons she didn't feel safe returning. She was absolutely humiliated when she walked into her home. She wasn't sure if she had ever felt that alone and targeted. She felt like crawling into herself and hiding for good. It was fucking hard. She didn't want that. She didn't want to go through that again.

When she saw those words on her wall she felt like they were painted on her body. She felt like they were a part of her. A huge part. She tried so hard to scrub them off of her skin but she just couldn't. And she couldn't figure out why.

Was it because they were true? Was it because that's how she saw herself? Did her friends see her that way, too? Were they able to look over it enough to tolerate her? Did they feel deep inside that she was all of those awful things and more? Did they just hide it better than everybody else?

Bella didn't know what to believe anymore.

* * *

Paul was in an _awful_ mood.

Everything set him off.

Everything was fucking suspicious to him.

He knew how he could feel a lot better. Unfortunately, his solution had been avoiding him for the past couple of days. Honestly, he couldn't really blame her. Technically, he was the source of the problem, right? He had been pursuing her so relentlessly for the past few years, then when he picked up the pace and actually won her over, all of a sudden she was a threat to the society? Yeah, it was his fault.

But he wasn't going to let a bunch of jealous excuses for real women fuck up his chance with her. If he wanted to love the black paleface, he was going to love the shit out of her. No matter what anyone said, especially some girls he didn't care about whether or not Bella was in the picture.

Currently, Bella's property was still a crime scene but once they got the all clear, the council was going to pay to repair the damages. Paul was pissed. He wanted his girl to move in to her new place but he wanted the monsters that caused the damages to fix it and pay for it. They were pretty clever about how they did things. The windows were broken with what Paul deduced to be rocks, but oddly enough, no rocks were found on the scene. Maybe that's what happened when someone had a detective for a father? There were no fingerprints anywhere but there was hair. There were multiple strands, a few of which came from Emily Wind's and Serena Mitchell's heads. Because they and some of their friends were considered persons of interest (a lot of that due to the information Seth and Quil relayed to Charlie) samples of their hair had been taken to test. Of course Detective Wind tried to pull as many strings as he could but Charlie swiftly informed him that because the crime was committed in Forks, and Detective Wind did not have any authority there, he needed to sit this one out. Emily and Serena's friends were able to avoid arrest because there was no evidence against them but Emily and Serena were quickly taken into custody. Unfortunately, they were released on bail. Now they were just awaiting trial. The council, of course, found out about this and immediately pulled their own strings to get the two women fired from their jobs in La Push. Somehow, this wasn't enough for Paul. It just didn't seem right and he didn't want to wait around for a trial for them to get their punishment.

So, he took to antagonizing them every time he saw them. Sometimes, he actually sought them out. He would go where he knew they'd be. He would insult them – make fun of the fact that they felt so threatened that they had to try to eliminate the competition. He laughed in their faces about the fact that none of their tactics even worked. And that even if Bella and he weren't together he wouldn't look at, as he so eloquently put it, "you bitches twice."

Paul got a kick out of their embarrassment and anger. He thrived on it. Maybe now they could feel what Bella felt every time she thought about what they did to her. His wolf wanted to do a whole lot worse but Paul kept him down. Eventually, Sam got tired of hearing about Paul's antics and had to alpha order him to stop. Sam understood Paul's anger but he warned him that if he continued, it might result in something even worse happening. Paul was pissed.

But, Sam was his friend and Paul respected him. Besides, he was Sam's best man and he couldn't let him down. Speaking of weddings, Paul and the guys had to meet up to discuss wedding plans. Well, at least that's what Sam told Leah they would be doing. Instead, they'd be going to Jared's house and fucking around while the women were at Leah and Sam's place.

Paul hoped that he would be able to escort Bella to Leah and Sam's but she so sweetly told him that she didn't need him nor want him to take her. He and his wolf were going crazy. It had been a few days since they had last seen Bella. All Paul received were a few texts and some short phone calls.

_Damn_, he really wanted to kill those girls. They were the reason he was mostly being ignored. He almost let his wolf out a couple of times but he had to keep reminding himself that he was a Protector. He couldn't take advantage of that and use it to kill the same people he existed to protect.

Paul knew why Bella didn't want to speak to him. He understood. A part of him – a huge part, known as his wolf – wanted to tear down Charlie's door and run to demand that the girl talk to him. _Love_ him. But Paul knew better than his wolf. He knew that she would be even sngrier and might even refuse to see him for a little while longer. It hurt but he knew that if he gave her some time, she would come around. Eventually.

* * *

"So, you will do exactly what I say until the planning is over," Leah said as she walked back and forth in front of the girls, tapping her baton on her hand. "You guys are my maids until this whole thing is done. Understood?"

Bella rolled her eyes. Seth's girlfriend, Lisa, tapped her foot nervously. Chelsea, Embry's girl, bit her lip. Kim looked everywhere but at Leah. Claire scrunched her nose up. Vanessa, who was still in the wedding despite her and Jake's separation, tapped her nails on her knee.

"Understood?"

Everyone but Bella muttered a variation of "yeahs". She rolled her eyes again. Calling _Bridezillas_.

"And Bella, as second-in-command, you have control whenever I'm unavailable or unable to make a decision."

Bella's eyes lit up and she smiled for what felt like the first time in the last few days. _She loved this._

Vanessa was the one to roll her eyes this time. She missed Jake, and she felt like she was cheated out of being with him and being his chosen one because of Bella. What was even worse was that Bella didn't seem the least bit interested in Jake. She heard through the grapevine that Bella and Paul were getting pretty serious. But for whatever reason, Jacob still hadn't wanted to get back with Vanessa. She really hoped that he wasn't holding out for Bella because that relationship just didn't seem likely, unless there was something that Vanessa was missing. In the end, she really couldn't care less about Bella. She just didn't want Jacob to get hurt. She had to know what was going on.

Leah turned on the radio while she and the girls looked over colors for the bridesmaid dresses. Bella got up to get something to eat and Vanessa followed her into the kitchen.

"Hey," Vanessa opened.

"Hey."

"So, how have you been?"

Bella shrugged. "I've been alright. You?" Bella wasn't quite sure why Vanessa followed her. It wasn't a secret that Vanessa wasn't quite fond of Bella.

"I'm fine…look, I heard about what happened. I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that. Any of it."

Bella looked at her for a while. It seemed like she was sincere so she gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

Vanessa nodded and looked around awkwardly. Bella gathered her food and was about to walk out when Vanessa said, "So how are you and Paul doing?"

She stopped short. She should have known this was coming. "We're fine."

Vanessa nodded. "That's good. You two seem to be getting serious."

Bella shrugged. She didn't really see why they were having this conversation.

"We're hanging out. It's cool."

Vanessa nodded again. "Look, I know that we haven't exactly been the best of friends. It was only because I thought you were going after Jake. But now that I know that you aren't…"

Bella stared at her blankly. "What?"

"Well maybe now everything is in the clear for me and Jake."

Bella nodded. She really didn't have time for this. "Well I'm happy you feel that way."

"It's just, I love Jake. I don't want anything to get in between us. Now that you're out of the way and with Paul, things can go back to normal."

Bella rolled her eyes. Ever since the incident at her house, she felt like she was constantly in a bad mood and this was just making it worse. There was so much pent up hostility in her. She didn't hold her tongue for anybody but now she was definitely determined to stay true to that. The gloves came off.

"For your information, Jake doesn't want me 'out of the way' as you so put it. He made that very clear when he kissed me. You're just lucky that I've been spending more time with Paul and I don't plan on pursuing Jake." She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Vanessa.

"I always knew you wanted Jake. I bet you were the one that kissed him. And now that Paul finally wants to 'claim' you, you took it as your chance to play with the both of them. So how was the kiss, huh? How was it kissing him, knowing that those same lips you sucked on were sucking on me not too long ago?"

Bella rolled her eyes. The vulgarity was ridiculous and completely unnecessary. She wasn't about to stand there and fight over a man, especially one she wasn't sure she wanted.

She laughed sarcastically. "Look, I don't give a crap, Vanessa. I'm done with him. You can have him, girl."

She knew what she said was harsh. She loved Jake dearly so she didn't want to make him sound worthless but Vanessa was angering her.

Vanessa was seething. "You bitch. You know what? You deserved everything you got. They're right about you…you're nothing but a piece of trash."

Bella prided herself on not being a violent person. She valued respect. She gave it and expected to receive it. But as Vanessa looked at Bella the same way Bella imagined people would look at her – in disgust, like she was trash, like she deserved to be treated like trash, like she didn't deserve anyone's respect– she almost felt like it was true. _She almost felt_ _like it was all true._ And she couldn't stop herself. She raised her hand and slapped Vanessa.

* * *

"You are such a fucking cheater," Seth moaned when Paul beat him at pool for the second time that day.

"Oh please," Paul gloated, "just because you suck doesn't mean I'm a cheater. Don't worry young man, one day you might be able to reach my excellence."

Seth rolled his eyes and sulked.

"Can I play the winner?" Jake walked up behind Seth and grabbed his stick. Seth shrugged and walked off with a "Good luck" thrown at Jake.

Paul stared at Jake as Jake readied the balls. They hadn't spoken so much over the last few weeks. Paul still wasn't happy with him. The kid needed to stay away from Bella. It was difficult to be at odds with him because when it came down to it, Jake was his brother and he couldn't hate him. Not that much. His brothers were important to him but not more important than Bella. So, brother or not, he would kick Jake's furry ass if he didn't stay away from his girl.

"So, have you spoken to Bella lately?" Jake asked.

"Of course I have," Paul said. "I just spoke to her today."

"Yeah she's still upset about the other night, not that I can blame her. I am too. When I saw her yesterday I thought she was going to bite my head off. But all she really needed was someone to listen so that's what I did."

Paul stopped listening as soon as Jake said that he saw her yesterday. What the fuck was that about?

"You saw her yesterday?" He asked, trying not to lose his cool.

Jake sensed Paul's jealousy rising and fought hard to hide his smirk.

"Yeah, I went over to Charlie's to see how she was doing. She was really in a bad way, man. I had to hold her while she cried…"

Jake saw the reddening of Paul's face but didn't let up, not even when Seth offered to take over the pool game because, in his words, he needed to "prove his worth and teach Paul a lesson."

"It was tough seeing her like that…I don't think in all the years I've known her she's ever been that down. But I am her best friend so it makes sense that she would come to me for comfort." He shrugged.

Paul laughed angrily and rolled his eyes. "Oh please, you probably crawled through her window and she had no choice but to let your desperate ass in."

Sam muttered, "Crap" and rubbed his face because he knew what was about to happen. He was just happy it was in Jared's house and not his.

Jake laughed heartily. "I don't know if I would say I'm desperate…and I doubt Bella would agree with you."

"Oh really? Because I'm pretty sure that your advances are unwanted."

Jake laughed again. Paul was really getting tired of that.

"Not telling by the kisses we shared."

Everyone went quiet. "_Fuck,_" Jared thought, "_please don't break my new pool table. Please._"

Paul was pretty sure that he wanted to throttle someone. He just wasn't sure if it was Bella or Jake. No, he was sure. It was definitely Jake.

He moved around the pool table to stand in front of him. "What did you say?"

"Oh, you heard me. I kissed her and she kissed me back."

Paul took one more look at Jake's smug, smiling face before he swung.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Bella was driving towards her father's house thinking about the catfight she had with Vanessa. The other girls had quickly pulled the two apart before it could get too out of control. Bella thought she had never been so angry in her life before she remembered what happened a few nights before. To think of it, the fight with Vanessa wasn't so much about Jake – it really wasn't about Jake at all. It was about taking out her anger. If she were honest with herself, she would know that she had never felt so…_invigorated_ in her life. That fight was cathartic. At least, it was at the time. But as Bella drove her car, she thought about how disappointed she was in herself. She had never resulted to hitting but when Vanessa said what she did, it triggered something in Bella. She was so tired of getting bullied and being mistreated when she had done nothing wrong, except date a man who wasn't either of her races.

It was 2012, wasn't it a little too modern for that? And it wasn't like women from La Push didn't date guys from Forks so what was the difference? Was it because of imprinting season? Was it the threat that one of _their_ men would end up marrying and having little wolf babies with a non-native woman? To a certain extent, Bella could understand their upset but the men should be able to love whoever they want, native or not. Love had nothing to do with race or color and they needed to come to terms with that. It disgusted her the lengths that these women would go to prevent one of theirs from straying.

As Bella began to pass the home that she bought, she made the decision to stop there. She had been informed earlier that it was no longer a crime scene so she could return. Her father didn't want her to and she hadn't planned on it but she just felt like she needed to be there at the moment. Maybe that would serve as an emotional release for her, too, but a healthier one.

She removed the police tape and entered her unlocked home. Normally she would cringe at leaving a door unlocked like those people on television do but there was nothing to steal. She guessed she should be grateful for that, at least.

Bella sat near the door and looked up at all of the offensive words and phrases. When she came back to Forks for the summer, she never anticipated anything like this happening. All she wanted this summer was a little fun and some romance. She got that and a _whole_ lot more.

Bella had always felt a little inferior to everyone else. She never had the most confidence in herself and just when she was starting to feel like she was worth something, this happened and it just made her revert back to her inferiority complex. She already knew that she shouldn't let the comments of ignorant people affect her, but that's just how she was. Her mind knew what she should do and how she should feel but her heart didn't.

_Damn_, she really needed therapy.

As Bella considered being a therapist who had a therapist, she jumped when she heard the door roughly pushed open. Her heart beat rapidly at the intrusion, especially when she saw who the intruders were.

"You just couldn't stay away, could you?" Emily asked as she laughed lightly.

Bella immediately stood up as she saw Serena, along with two other girls, trail in behind Emily.

Bella rolled her eyes as the women looked around at their work. "What the hell are you doing here?"

They ignored her. "Wow, we did a pretty good job ladies, don't you think?" Serena asked as the natives gave a variation of giggles and agreements. Bella shook her head.

"You guys need to leave before I call the police."

"Now why would you do that, Bella? You already got us arrested for trashing the place. Isn't that enough for you?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Isn't THIS enough for you?" Bella questioned as she gestured at everything they did to the house. "What are you doing back here?"

"Well, we knew you'd be back here eventually," Valerie, one of the other girls, said. "It was just a matter of when. We knew you couldn't stay away from La Push like we told you to, just like you wouldn't stay away from here."

"Well you guys need to stay away from here because it is my home, and you're trespassing so I am calling the police," Bella said as she pulled out her cell phone. Before she could even dial any numbers, Desiree, the only girl to have not spoken so far, knocked the cell phone out of her hand.

Bella took a deep breath. She really had had enough of this. She pushed Desiree away from her. "Don't fuck with me. I really am not in the mood for this." The force of Bella's push was enough to send Desiree reeling back but before Bella could move anywhere she felt someone push her from behind.

She turned around. "Seriously? Is this what you're going to do?"

Emily shrugged. "You pushed her first."

Bella shook her head. She had never been in a real physical fight, besides the one that took place earlier in the day. Despite this fact, she was no punk. But she did know when to back down—she was outnumbered. "I'm not doing this," she said as she grabbed her phone, pushed past Desiree and began to walk out. Before she could, she felt someone grab her by her hair and drag her across the slippery floor.

"STOP!" She yelled as she grabbed Emily's hands and tried to pry them off of her locks.

Emily's hands left her hair but Bella realized it was only so that they could move to her face. Bella took a large breath to prepare to scream but it was quickly knocked out of her when she felt a swift kick to the stomach. Before she could even process anything, she felt hands and feet pummeling her from seemingly everywhere. She tried so hard to cover every base – her head, her stomach, her neck – everything. But it was _so_ hard. The hands and feet were everywhere. Bella knew that if she tried to fight back she'd be putting herself at a high risk, but she was tired of being bullied and thrown around by these girls. She could tell they didn't expect it when they jumped back from her attacks. She pushed, she kicked, and she flailed her arms and legs. A part of her knew that she was fighting a losing battle, but if she was going to go down, she was determined to go down fighting.

It wasn't meant to be because almost as soon as she started to fight back, her arms and legs were held down. Bella had never had a black eye but when she realized she couldn't open either of her eyes, she concluded that she was now sporting two.

She screamed as loudly as she could but was forced to stop when someone's shoe repeatedly made contact with her mouth. Another foot stomped on her stomach.

She tried so hard not to cry. She really did.

But as Bella laid there crying, writhing in pain and trying awfully hard to release her limbs and shield herself, she figured she had nothing left to do but think and pray. She prayed that she would make it out of this alive. She prayed that she would pass out quickly to escape the pain. She prayed that Charlie wouldn't be too lonely if this were the end for her. She prayed that Renee wouldn't blame herself. She prayed that Jake and Paul would get over their feud and find worthy imprints.

She thought about all of the things she never got to do in her short life. She thought of all of the opportunities she never took advantage of. In a fleeting thought about Paul, she remembered that she had never even had sex! She almost laughed at the thought. She felt like she was about to die and _that_ was what she was thinking about. Typical, desperate Bella. But at least she got to make out with someone. She got to feel alive. She got to feel desired.

She thought about all of the things her mother warned her about. She thought about all of the things her mother had gone through during her time in Forks. She thought about how her mom must be an extremely strong woman to be able to keep going on after an experience like this.

And as Bella felt herself drifting to a place she wasn't familiar with, she thought about how if she made it through this, she hoped that she could be as strong as her mother was. She thought about being strong enough to leave Forks. But then she thought about being strong enough to stay.

And as Bella finally reached a place of peace, solace and relief and the ladies slowed down their hits, no one noticed when a pair of dark brown eyes watched them from a short distance.

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews, etc. :)  
**


	11. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Paul was going to give Bella a piece of his mind.

He didn't call her the previous night because no matter how angry he was with her, he didn't want to interrupt her beauty sleep. She was so beautiful.

He shook his head. _Snap out of it Lahote. You're pissed the fuck off._

He and Jake's wolves battled late into the night. Eventually, Sam had to order them to stop because he wanted to go home to Leah and unfortunately he couldn't sleep comfortably if he knew that his pups were taking huge chunks out of each other's furry asses.

Although Paul really wanted to confront Bella about Jake's declaration (and the revolting memories he saw in Jake's head), he was too riled up. He was extremely angry because he realized that the two times Jake kissed her were the days she ended up spending over at Paul's, the days they first became intimate with each other's bodies, and the night that she wanted to have sex with him. He felt betrayed.

Paul was so upset that he went to one of La Push's many bars and proceeded to get as drunk as possible. As per usual, he was bombarded with the slipped notes, the free drinks, the soiled panties, and the house keys. A part of Paul was tempted to say "Fuck Bella" and take one or two of the women home. But that was the old, immature part. The new and improved, mature Paul told himself to wait it out and see what Bella had to say before he made any sudden decisions. There was also another huge part of Paul that prevented him from giving up on her – his wolf. His wolf demanded that he not only kill Jake, but go over to Charlie's and prove to Bella that she was _his_ and his only. Paul had to push that part of himself down because it was dangerous, too dangerous. With all of the anger and possession he was feeling at the moment, he couldn't be sure that his wolf wouldn't flip out and do something to harm Bella. So he had to stay away.

But it wasn't only his wolf that wanted to claim Bella – it was the other part of Paul that had fallen in love with her. It was the part that wanted to be loved, too, and it was the part that knew Bella could do that better than any of those women at the bar. What they shared hadn't been a lie. He knew it. He felt the love radiating off of her whenever they were together. He felt it when they flirted. When they held each other. When they talked. When they kissed. When they touched. He felt it. So how could she kiss Jake? He had to talk to her. He was confused and all of his parts were battling each other. That's why he knew he couldn't be trusted to make the right decisions. Therefore, he got drunk, went home, and fell asleep. He dreamt of Bella. He not only dreamt about their times together and the times he hoped they would have in the future, but he dreamt of hurt and pain. Physical pain as well as emotional pain. When he woke up, he felt like something was off. He assumed it was the whole situation with Jake so he tried to shake the feeling but it was difficult. He knew it wouldn't be quelled until he spoke to Bella. Paul's dream made him realize what his wolf knew along. Bella was _his_. He wasn't going to let Jake take her away from him. Besides, the first time she and Jacob had kissed, Bella had pushed him away. _Twice._ That meant something, right? The second time was too quick for her to move away. Now, after a night of sleep, it was clearer to him. She didn't want Jake. If she did, she would have been with him instead of with Paul. So Paul was going to Charlie's and he was going to get her back. But not before he chewed her out for keeping the kisses from him.

It was about 10 a.m. so he knew that she would be just waking up. He loved how she looked when she was just waking up. But damn it if that wouldn't make it much more difficult for him to be angry with her. Whatever, he was already on his way.

He got out of his car and rang the doorbell. Charlie opened the door.

"Hey, Paul. What are you doing here so early?"

"Good morning, Chief. I know it's a little early but I came to speak to Bella."

Charlie rubbed his nose. "She isn't here, Son. She told me she was going over to discuss the wedding with Leah and the others so I assumed she'd be staying with you for the night."

Paul looked at Charlie a bit strangely. "I haven't heard from her since yesterday morning."

Charlie's face immediately displayed alarm. As a police chief with lots of years under his belt, he was usually better at masking his emotions but this was his daughter – one who was constantly being emotionally abused and in great danger of being physically abused.

"Come in," Charlie made space for Paul to walk inside. "I want you to call Jake and see if she's with him. I will call Billy and get him to ask everyone else if they know where she is."

The idea of Bella being at Jake's made Paul's skin flare up in anger. _But_, that was better than the alternative – her being missing. He nodded and called Jake.

"Calling to apologize?" Jake answered in his cheery, early morning tone.

"Shut up, prick. You seen Bella?"

Jake wrinkled his nose. "No. Why?"

"I'm over at Charlie's and he says that she hasn't been home."

There was silence on the other end for a beat. "I'm going to call around. Meet me here in ten."

Paul agreed and hung up his phone just as Charlie did. "Any luck?" Charlie asked.

Paul shook his head. "She's not with Jake. And I doubt she's with Sam and Leah. Jake said he's going to call around but he wants me to meet him at his place in ten minutes."

"How would you get there so qui…_oh_," Charlie answered himself.

Paul looked around awkwardly and scratched his neck. "You could, um…you know…" He tried to gesture someone grabbing reins to ride a horse-sized wolf.

Charlie saved him from further embarrassment as his face flushed and he scratched the back of his neck as well. "Uh…thanks…but I think I'll just get the squad car, call some officers, and ride around…but thanks."

Paul nodded and quickly turned around to flee.

Just moments later, he was walking along the road with Jacob.

"Where do you think she could have gone?" Paul asked.

"Well she's not at Charlie's, yours, mine, or anybody else's. Everyone's looking for her and…shit I don't know man," Jake answered as he scratched his head. "Leah told me that she said she was going home…"

Jake stopped in his tracks. "_Home,_" both men murmured at the same time.

They looked at each other and took off on a run.

* * *

Charlie thought about some things as he drove through Forks. He thought about Bella and Renee. He thought about when he and Renee first got together all those years ago. He smiled as he thought about their group of friends from La Push and how much fun they'd all have together. He frowned when he thought about all of the abuse they had endured, too.

Charlie never thought that his life would turn out like this. When he was a kid, he'd admit this to anybody, he was quite popular among the ladies. That's because he was _nice_. See, back then, nice guys didn't always finish last. When he met Renee he realized she was it for him. He didn't imagine that being with the love of his life would be so difficult – well, it wasn't so much being with her. Being with her was amazing, incredible. It was being with her in _Forks_ and _La Push_ that caused so many problems to arise. Sometimes he wished he could take her away somewhere far from all of the critics and spectators. He knew that was unrealistic at their age, but still, he dreamed. That was even before she got pregnant. But when he learned of her pregnancy he became even more determined to make that dream come true. Forks was his home and he loved his family in La Push but he loved his little family in Forks more. He loved them enough to move them somewhere safer. Charlie was trying to save money to move them elsewhere when Renee was attacked. He would never forget the day he received that call.

_He was sitting in his squad car with his partner, on patrol, when he received a phone call._

_He looked at his caller ID, a recent invention, and smiled when he saw it was Billy._

"_Officer Swan," he said cheekily. He really loved using that. Renee loved it and it was a way for him to rub it in Billy's face that he wouldn't be the only one who became a chief one day._

"_Charlie, it's Billy. You've got to get down to the hospital immediately. It's Renee," Billy said in a rushed town._

_Charlie felt his smile and his heart drop. "What the hell happened?"_

"_She was attacked, Charlie." Billy didn't even need to go into further details. Charlie understood and knew exactly why she was attacked. He sighed deeply._

"_Sarah and I will pick Bella up from school. We have Jake with us so we will take them to get something to eat so don't worry about her for now. Just go to the hospital and call us to let us know what you need us to do," Billy said._

_Charlie nodded even though somewhere inside of him, he was aware that Billy couldn't see him. He cleared his throat. "Okay. Thanks, Billy."_

Charlie's heart broke that day, not only for his wife but for their little girl. Because he knew that one day they were going to have to explain all of that to her. And she was going to have to face the possibility that the same thing could happen to her. But Charlie wasn't prepared for that. He had always held out hope that his daughter would never have to experience it. And as he sat in his car and drove around the town of Forks in search of his daughter, he definitely wasn't prepared to receive the phone call he did. It was a phone call a father never wanted to receive. And for Charlie, it was like déjà vu.

* * *

Jake and Paul ended up at Bella's new place. It reeked of multiple smells – the one that stood out scared them the most. It was blood.

The guys glanced at each other briefly before they ran into the house. They didn't see what they expected to see.

Nobody was there.

All of the scents bombarded them so quickly that they couldn't even think straight. The first ones they picked up were of tainted muffins, wildflowers, and about two other ones. Then they smelled the strawberries. They could tell that the strawberry scent was the one riddled with blood. The men looked at each other again before they took off in opposite directions.

Jacob ran upstairs while Paul ran into the kitchen. On some level, the two knew that if she were still there, they would have probably heard her heartbeat. On another level, the two knew they were preparing themselves for the possibility that she could be there yet they wouldn't hear a heartbeat.

Jake ran into the master bedroom and didn't see her in there. This continued in all of the rooms on the floor until he got to the bathroom. He tried to steady his heartbeat as he slowly walked closer and closer. He knew that he had to hurry but a part of him wanted to prepare himself for the blow that would occur if he found her in there…lifeless.

He slowly pushed the door open and saw nothing.

A sigh of relief left Jacob and he felt his eyes moisten. This was his _best friend _they were looking for here – his best friend. He never thought he'd see the day when he'd be relieved to see that she wasn't dead like he suspected. This was just unreal. Even in a world of vampires and werewolves, the death of his best friend just seemed _unreal_. His relief faded and he quickly sobered when he realized that she could still be downstairs.

Paul sniffed around the kitchen, the downstairs bathroom, and the backyard – he knew she hadn't been in those places. That only left the basement.

That would be the perfect place, after all. No one would look there unless they were looking for something. It was dark. It was quiet. It was hidden. It was perfect.

Paul's breathing faltered as he stood at the steps of the basement. It seemed that all of his senses were failing him. He couldn't smell. He couldn't see. His fear gripped him. It was the only thing he could touch, the only thing he could taste. The only thing he could hear was the erratic beating of his heart. He didn't hear Jake come up behind him and he didn't hear any other heartbeats. He only heard his own. He turned on the light.

* * *

Quil felt like an idiot, sniffing the roads like the dog that he was. He was just happy that no one was currently driving on the road. He didn't hear anyone for miles so he knew he was safe to look like a dumb ass for now. But he just couldn't shake this feeling. And he couldn't shake these scents. He felt like a police hound that got a sniff of Bella's shirt and went running in her direction. He was very familiar with her scent so when he smelled it on the road he had to follow. He had been jogging around, sniffing the air like a lunatic, so, naturally, he tripped on a rolling soda can and fell. It was probably the most rewarding fall yet because when he hit the ground he got a mixture of scents. Most of it smelled like tires and exhaust but there was a small hint of Bella. He knew he had to follow up.

As he travelled along on all fours, he noticed the scents getting stronger and stronger. His eyes opened wide in alarm as he realized what they were. So he wasn't surprised when his nose and his body led him to a vehicle parked in the driveway of a certain house. He looked around, jumped the gates, and then slowly walked up to the car. His heart raced and his stomach dropped as he effortlessly pried open the trunk.

Unfortunately, what he saw, or rather, who he saw didn't surprise him. His nose was always trustworthy. Though, a part of Quil hoped it was leading him the wrong way this time.

If it weren't for her scent, he probably wouldn't have recognized her.

A limp, bruised, and bloodied Bella lied in a small pool of her own blood inside of the trunk.

* * *

**Lol don't flame me. I know technically with the injuries she sustained she should be dead right now. But hey, if werewolves and vampires exist, normal people can have nine lives. In a world with vampys and wolves they should anyway.**

**Blame **_**Law and Order: SVU…**_**lots of dead bodies in cars…some live ones, too…**

**Anyway, I'd just like to inform you guys that I will be ending this story soon. I'm not sure how soon – my heart tells me in a few chapters but my mind tells me I have a lot more ground to cover. So we'll see. I'd just really like to know your thoughts from here on out especially, just in case there's anything specific you'd like to see that I can take into account. Or just if you want to let me know what you think…that would be nice too. Either way, this is my **_**first**_** story so I'm just becoming a little sentimental towards the end. It would be great to know what you think, though – about this chapter (though it was a bit of a teaser) or about whatever. Thanks. :)  
**


	12. Chapter 10

**Please ignore my blatant disregard of accurate doctor-speech.**

**Chapter 10**

Quil's hands shook as he sat in the waiting room.

He couldn't wipe the images from his head.

The blood, the cuts, the scratches, gashes, and bruises.

As a wolf, Quil had seen and done many things. But killing vampires had nothing on what he had seen in that trunk.

The destruction. The blatant disregard of human life.

It was one thing for vampires to do it—it was their MO, their purpose, their way of survival—but humans?

_God_, _the blood._

Quil was still quivering when Charlie ran in. "Quil, where is she?"

"She's in surgery."

Charlie slumped down into the chair next to Quil and ran his hands over his face. Quil continued to rock back and forth in his seat.

"How did you find her, Son?"

"I smelled her," Quil spoke, without opening his eyes. He covered his nostrils.

Charlie sighed and rubbed his face once again. "I sent some cars over to Emily's. Jesus, Quil. I can't even believe this."

Quil nodded.

With a bit of apprehension, Charlie looked over at him. "So…what did she look like?"

_All the blood._

Quil looked up at Charlie with wide eyes. Before he could answer, Paul and Jake quickly ran in. Quil closed his eyes and silently thanked Taha Aki for the interruption. He quickly reopened them when the images became all too clear again.

After Charlie explained to the boys that Bella was in surgery, they started to shoot question after question at Quil. He managed to answer them.

"So where did you find her?" Jake asked.

"In the trunk of Emily's car."

Quil's hackles rose as he felt a dangerous spike of anger in the room. He straightened in his seat as his wolf immediately reacted to his brothers' distress. He itched to get out.

"I'm gonna kill her," Paul murmured through gritted teeth. Charlie hopped up as Paul began to walk through the waiting room. Charlie tried to pull him back but it was Jacob's strength that ultimately did it.

"Paul, chill the fuck out," Jake murmured in his ear. It wasn't an alpha command but it held the weight of one.

"Paul, I know what you want to do to Emily. Hell, I'd join you but Bella needs us. And the only place harming Emily would put you in is jail. I highly doubt Bells would appreciate that," Charlie said as he tried to appease Paul. It seemed to work as Paul's shaking slowed and he let Jake lead him back to the waiting area.

The three men were so riled up and upset that they didn't realize that a sour Quil had gone outside to heave up his breakfast.

* * *

A couple of hours later, the rest of the guys and the girls filled up the whole waiting room. Billy had gone with Charlie to get some coffee a little while earlier.

Paul had never imagined things turning out like this. This summer was supposed to be about him choosing an imprint – specifically, making Bella his imprint – but it turned out to be so much more. He'd always known deep down that he wanted her to be his but he didn't predict that he would fall this hard, this fast. He didn't even notice it happening. It was just like, one day he woke up and realized he wanted her to be there. Not just in his bed. He wanted her to be everywhere. He wanted her in his house. In his life. In his spirit.

_Fuck. You are such a wimp, Lahote._

He knew somewhere inside that his man-card was slipping. It was fighting like hell to hold on. The old Paul would have grabbed on to it and secured it tightly. But this Paul, the one whose wolf was ready to settle down, the one who wanted to be loved by the woman he loved – couldn't care less.

But this same part of Paul, the part that was struggling to hold on to his man-card, felt like he failed. He failed so fucking hard. He claimed to care about Bella yet where was he when she was being beaten to a bloody pulp? He was getting drunk and thinking about how angry he was with her. None of that seemed to matter now. Not the anger, not the kisses with Jake, not the lies. All that mattered was her and her recovery.

His wolf was on a different page, though. Sure, he wanted to curl up with Bella and lick her wounds, but what he _really_ wanted to do first was go to Emily's house and show her what happens to people who dare to fuck with his mate. It took everything in Paul (and Jake) to stop his wolf from taking over right in that hospital when he heard that Emily was _storing_ Bella in her car. She left her in there to die. So the wolf wanted Emily to die too. He wanted her to know what it felt like to be within an inch of her life, not knowing whether or not she'd make it. Unlike Bella, though, Emily wouldn't be able to get the help she needed. Because the wolf would let her die. He would watch her. He would watch her wither in the agony that _he_ put her in. And he would **enjoy** it.

But Paul couldn't do that. No matter how much he wanted to. No matter how much he hated the bitch and wanted to throttle her until she was sputtering and red in the face, it was his job to protect human life. Yet, for whatever reason – fighting with Jake, drinking at the bar, sleeping, whatever – he couldn't protect one of the few human lives he would die to protect. What the fuck was wrong with him? His wolf definitely wasn't happy with him. He could feel it in his bones. He could feel it when he would try to get his wolf to relax. His wolf was unsettled and wanted to rebel against him. He scratched at him, growled, pawed, whatever he could do to get out. But all Paul would do was send him images of Bella's laughing, blushing, beautiful brown face and his wolf would submit and whine in need to see her. He would think about her velvety, teasing voice and his wolf would whine in desire to hear her talk, laugh, or sigh. He would think about all the times they had been intimate – some of Paul's favorite thoughts – and his wolf would whine in demand to mark her and make love to her. One of the things Paul specifically loved about his relationship with Bella was that everything was so much…_fun_. He was so used to just meeting girls and having sex but with Bella, they did so much more. They experimented, which was mainly due to her innocence (which he found fucking adorable), but it was more than just something to do – it was a way for them to express their feelings. He liked kissing her. He liked licking her, touching her. He liked how she squealed whenever his tongue touched her somewhere unexpectedly. He liked it when she got bold with him and did things to make him squeal…_inlikeatotallymanlyway_.

God, he really wanted his wolf to destroy him.

When he got word that Bella was okay, he was going to hurt himself the way he truly deserved – he would run into trees, punch trees, hell, maybe he'd even let Jake fuck him up.

_Nah, not that._

But he couldn't do any of that right now. He had to be there for Bella. Taha Aki knows he wasn't there for her before. He'd never make that mistake again.

Paul was deep into his thoughts but still noticed when the doctor walked out. Everyone stood up immediately. The doctor addressed them all after shaking Charlie's hand.

"I am pleased to see that there are so many people here for Ms. Swan. She's going to need your support. Bella is extremely lucky that she came in when she did because another hour in that trunk and she wouldn't have made it."

Everyone bristled at that.

"There was a lot of swelling in her brain, which was due to blunt force trauma to the head," Paul closed his eyes. Not his Bella. He couldn't imagine anyone wanting to harm his Bella.

"We were able to reduce the swelling, fortunately, but as of now she is unconscious. She suffered a few broken ribs, and she was very lucky to not have any of those ribs pierce her lungs. She also endured a broken jaw. Many of her injuries looked more serious than they were, so fortunately the only problem we really have to deal with right now is the brain trauma. For now, we are going to allow her time to heal. We can't be completely sure when she will awaken from her coma. Brain injuries are different for each patient so all we can do for now is monitor her until she is ready to rejoin us. You can go see her, one at a time though, please."

The doctor walked away as some thanked him and others sat back down to wait their turns. They all knew who would be going first.

* * *

Charlie hesitated when going in.

He was afraid. _He was so afraid._ He was _so_ afraid of who she'd look like.

Charlie closed his eyes and braced himself when he walked in. He leaned against the door and took a deep breath of the stale air before opening his eyes.

He crumpled to the floor. _She looked just like her mother._

Charlie couldn't control his sobs as he shakily looked up at his daughter through blurry eyes. He couldn't count how many bruises he saw on her face. She looked so beaten.

So broken.

So pale.

He knew his girl was strong; he just didn't see it right then.

It took him a while to get off of the floor. It took him even longer to walk on his shaky legs to sit in the seat next to her bed. He grabbed her hand.

He expected it but almost shrunk back when he felt how cold it was. Even his baby girl's little, tiny, perfect hand was bruised. He bet she was bruised everywhere. He couldn't even recognize her beautiful face.

He should have protected her better.

He was her father; it was his job and he didn't follow through like he should have. He should have had an officer attached to her hip like he threatened to do. He should have known where she was at all times. He should have fought harder to keep those girls in jail without bail. He should have called her last night. Should've, should've, should've.

He should have done so many things. He should have listened to her mother. Renee was right. Bella was never safe here. His desperation to have his daughter with him prevented him from realizing this. He put his needs and desires before his own safety and he would never forgive himself for that.

He wouldn't blame her if she never forgave him.

Charlie reached out to touch her face but hesitated just inches above her bruises.

He couldn't do it.

This just wasn't his daughter.

_It wasn't her._

He grabbed his face with both hands as he tried to control his sobs. He struggled. He failed.

Eventually, he stopped trying and completely let his emotions take over his body.

He rested his head near his daughter's stomach and placed her hand on his face.

* * *

Charlie walked out of Bella's room sullenly. Everyone already knew things wouldn't be exciting in there but they had hoped he wouldn't look so down when he walked out. It made everybody else fear going in. Charlie got a call from the police station so he decided to leave for a little while. He probably needed the time, anyway. That left everyone looking around wondering who was going in next. Everyone's eyes landed on Jake and Paul.

Paul cleared his throat. "I think I'm going to wait to see her. Last."

Everyone nodded. Jake got up and went inside.

His world got rocked when he stepped in the hospital room. All of his senses were consumed by her. He smelled her – the blood, the residual fear, the current peace. He could almost taste her defeat. He could hear her slow, steady heartbeat. He could hear the blood flowing through her veins. All he could see was her limp, pale form lying in the hospital bed. _He could feel her slipping away._

He walked up to her side and grabbed her hand. "Bells," he murmured, desperately.

This girl meant so much to him. He couldn't bear to see her like this. This just wasn't her. It wasn't like her at all.

She was so vivacious, so charming, so fun.

She wasn't weak. She wasn't pale. She wasn't limp.

She wasn't cold, either. So he hoped that his heat would transfer through her hand and warm the rest of her body efficiently. It was the least he could do.

He didn't want to admit it, but he had a hard time looking at her face. It just wasn't her. He couldn't stand to look at the bruises, the swollen eyes, the large cuts. So he settled for taking brief glances and then looking back down at her small hand in his two large ones. He kissed it gently.

"I love you." He came right out with it. "But I bet you knew that already, didn't you?" He smiled. "You were always so astute. Even when we were kids.

"Do you remember when I crawled through your window that night and tried to tell you about my…condition? You got it so quickly. I know it's 'cause you're fucking smart but I always liked to think it was because you just know me so well." He kissed her hand again.

"I know you just as well. You just want attention, you know. That's why you haven't woken up yet. Gosh, as if you don't get enough attention already, with me and Paul fighting over you." He chuckled. Then he sobered up.

"That's what we were doing last night, you know. While you were praying and hoping for someone to save you, Paul and I were fighting."

His eyes moistened and he bit his lip. For the first time that night, he stared at her face without looking away.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. I'm **so** sorry. We're supposed to protect you and we both failed. Neither one of us deserve you. But I swear, when you wake up and walk out of here, we will never make that mistake again. I can guarantee you we are going to be your fucking shadows, Bella. We're going to be like that cop that was sitting outside of your house that day we watched _The Princess and the Frog_." He chuckled and licked his lips. "Damn, I shouldn't have said that. That'll probably make you not want to wake up, huh? Look, I promise, if you wake up right now, I'll do whatever you want. I'll even bring your DVD here and watch it all night and day with you. Whatever you want, pretty girl. I'll do it."

Jacob stared directly at her eyelids, as if willing them to open. He smiled wistfully. A huge part of him expected her to wake up right then. He really wished that she were like the wolves. He wished she could heal in a matter of days and be back to normal like him and the guys. Even more, he wished he could have taken the beating for her.

* * *

Charlie sat in the interrogation room right across from Emily.

"I've been here for hours and I haven't been allowed to make my phone call yet," Emily said, glaring at Charlie. He laughed.

"Are you kidding me? With what you've done you actually expect us to treat you fairly around here? You're lucky we're even going by procedure. If I had it my way I'd sentence your racist ass right this minute!"

Emily smiled slowly and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Bella's not the only one with a father in a police department. My dad won't let anything happen to me."

"That's right, sweetheart," both heard as the door opened. An officer allowed Detective Henry Wind inside. "You can't interrogate her without a lawyer present. You know that, Charlie."

"It's Chief Swan. And to be honest, I don't even have to interrogate her. Her ass could be thrown in a cell right now. _My_ child was found in your daughter's car, bloody and bruised," Henry visibly stiffened at that, "You'll be lucky if Emily gets anything less than five years."

Henry quickly composed himself. "There is no way Emily will even get close to that. She's my daughter. She's not going to rot in jail if I have anything to do with it."

Charlie walked around the table and stood directly in front of Detective Wind. He smiled. "Look, _Wind_. You may have some pull back in La Push but we're not there right now. Your idiot daughter committed the crime in Forks. You're in _my_ town now. I rule this place. And if I have anything to do with it, which I do, your daughter and her friends will be going to jail for a _really_ long time. So, if you aren't Emily's lawyer, who I'm guessing you're not, you can get the hell out of my interrogation room!"

Detective wind was…winded. So was Charlie. The chief had always been known for his quiet strength. But this was his daughter, here. He couldn't be quiet about this. He wasn't going to let this one slide.

So as a red-faced Charlie and a humiliated Henry breathed heavily and stared each other down, Charlie felt a sense of victory as Detective Henry Wind slowly backed away and walked out of the room. It was a small victory. But hopefully it was the first in many for the justice of his daughter.

* * *

About two hours had gone by as visitors went in and out of Bella's room. Paul struggled to sit patiently while he waited his turn. It was the perfect punishment – his wolf wanted to get out so badly. Paul wanted to get out so badly. But he didn't deserve to. He didn't deserve to get to run away and burn off his anger while Bella lied there in a hospital bed. So he sat there. He wanted to see her last because he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. He had to find some way to wake her up as soon as possible. He was new to these feelings he had for her and he wasn't quite sure how long he'd be able to last without her presence. It had already been bad enough because they hardly spoke the last few days. It was making the situation with his wolf worse. But he also knew that the longer she stayed in the coma, the more difficult it would be for her to wake up. So, he was really in this for the both of them.

By the end of the two hours, Jake and Paul were the only ones left in the waiting room.

"It's hard, you know."

Paul looked at Jacob.

"To sit in there. She just looks so…_not Bella_. It's fucking hard, especially knowing that we could have helped her, **protected** her if we hadn't had our heads up each other's asses."

Paul nodded. "I know."

The men were both silent for a while.

"I love her, you know," Paul said.

Jake nodded. "I know. I love her too."

Paul nodded.

There was no tension. Just understanding.

* * *

Paul walked in. He hesitated for a beat when he looked at her. But as if nothing was wrong, he walked up to the bed and sat down on the chair beside it.

"God, this seat is so hot," he complained. "How many sweaty wolf asses were in it before me? Not to mention sweaty human asses."

He looked at her. "I know what you're doing here. You want attention. So what, me and Jake aren't enough for you? You gotta have everyone else up your ass, too?" He shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. So greedy, baby." He rubbed two of his fingers across her bruised cheek. "You know I'm all you need, even if you won't admit it."

She stayed silent.

"Okay, if I'm all you need, don't say anything."

She stayed silent.

_Damn_, he almost banked on her waking up just to argue with him.

"Okay, I see that's not going to work. Look, I never told you this, but my mom was in the hospital quite a while before she died. My dad and I came to see her every day. We watched her wither away slowly."

He stopped for a second before continuing. "You would think that would scare me away from here, huh?" He smiled. "I bet you'd like that. But you need to know something," he leaned in closer. He leaned in until he was just inches away from her. "Nothing can keep me away from you, baby." He kissed her ear softly and pulled away.

"Now no matter how much you claim to dislike me—which you and I know is completely _false_, and don't deny it because you and I both know that I have many instances that I can bring up that proves that it is completely _false_," he laughed, "I know that you wouldn't want me to get hurt. Too badly. Even if I deserve it. So you can have your way now…sleep for a little while longer just to punish me for not saving you like I should have. But don't go too far, baby. Another thing you and I both know is that I wouldn't like it too much if you were gone. I can't have another woman leave me, especially you. I know it's only been like two months but damn, Bella…you're somethin' special."

He laughed.

"I know I don't have to tell you that. You're thinking, '_I know'_, right now, aren't you?" He shook his head. "Typical. So cocky." He sat in thought for a second. "You always do that…I know why. You act like that because you don't want people to know how you really feel. But I know you, Bella. Sometimes you feel inadequate…like you're not good enough. Like you're not special, not worthy…insufficient. But you try to deflect those feelings by acting like you're the shit." He shrugged. "I get it. I know so well because I'm the same way."

He smiled a little. "Don't tell anyone I said that."

* * *

An exhausted Charlie walked through the waiting room. He spotted a dozing Jacob and slumped down next to him.

"Paul's been in there for the past hour," Jake said without opening an eye.

"Oh. You can head on home, Son. I'll be staying here for the rest of the night."

Jake shook his head. "So will I."

Charlie knew it would be futile to argue with him so he just sighed and leaned back in his seat. He started to doze off but was awakened when he heard a tear-stricken voice.

"How's our daughter?"

* * *

**So how'd you like my dumbed down doctor? I imagine him as someone who's not as stuffy as doctors are portrayed on television.**

**I really hope that the jumping around didn't confuse you too much – I'm really not one for the sad stuff so I needed to break every now and then. Obviously, Bella's mama's entrance may throw me back into the sad realm but I'm okay with that. It's for a good cause.**

**So what do you think Renee is going to do? Some of you seem to think that Bella should up and leave Forks – who agrees with that? Who believes that is what Renee is going to want Bella to do?**

**And what about that little understanding Paul and Jake had in the waiting room? What is **_**that**_** about? And the differences among the three visits by the most important men in Bella's life? What'd you think of Quil's reaction? Paul's confession?**

**It would be great to know what you guys are thinking! Knowing that you guys understand the importance makes this all worth it. Thanks! :)  
**

**And thanks so much for the reviews, etc. Especially to the sweet anonymous reviewers I cannot respond to personally. :)  
**


	13. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Renee…," Charlie sat up in his chair and cleared his throat. He had called Renee earlier in the day but was still surprised to see her there. He hadn't expected her to show up until much later on the next day, at least.

Jake wanted to pretend to be asleep but that would just be awkward for him. So he opened his eyes and stood up.

"Hi, Renee."

She looked at Jacob, who she just seemed to notice was there, and nodded. "Jake. You've certainly grown."

He smiled a little and walked up to give her a tight hug. He sensed she needed one, too. "I'm so sorry we've had to see each other again under these circumstances."

Renee hugged him back weakly and nodded. "So am I."

Jacob decided to go to the cafeteria to give the two ex-lovers some privacy.

For a few moments, Charlie wasn't quite sure what to say. As he looked at Renee's grief-stricken face, he once again realized something he had always known. She was a vision.

She looked just the same as the last time he saw her, a few years ago. Her skin was a beautiful, dark chocolate color—darker than Bella's but just as smooth and blemish free. Though her dark brown eyes were damp and dull at the moment, looking into them, Charlie could remember all the times they were vibrant and excited. He looked at her full, plump lips and remembered all of the times he kissed them. And when she crossed her arms over her chest, Charlie could remember all the times she'd do that when she was angry.

"So? Where is she?"

"She's in room 809 but someone is in there with her."

"This late?"

"Yeah, her um…boyfriend, I guess. Paul Lahote."

Renee nodded and sat down. "She's told me about him."

Charlie nodded and looked down at his hands. He wasn't quite sure what to say. When he imagined seeing his ex-wife again, he didn't imagine it being like this.

"Where were you?"

Charlie looked up at her. "What?"

"Where were you when she was getting beaten up, Charlie?" Renee whispered, all the while looking straight ahead. Deep inside, she knew that Charlie couldn't be everywhere at once, but since the girls who did this to her daughter weren't around, she had to direct her anger at the closest person.

Charlie sighed. He knew this was coming but he wasn't anywhere near prepared for it.

"Renee…"

"No, Charlie. You promised. You **promised** me that you would protect her! Where the hell was all of that 'protection' when she was getting her ass beaten?"

Charlie cringed at her words. He felt all of his former insecurities abounding as his ex-wife chastised him, rightfully.

"I wasn't there, Renee. And I'm _sorry_," he felt like he was apologizing for more than one incident. His eyes were moist as he whispered, "I'm so sorry. I will never forgive myself for it. Any of it, Renee. I know I failed the both of you." He shook his head regretfully. "I failed two of the only women I've ever loved and I don't deserve your forgiveness, nor do I expect it."

Renee looked at Charlie, then. _Really_ looked at him. She knew she was looking at a broken man but a part of her didn't care. She was just so** angry**. Partly at him but mostly at the girls who did this to her daughter. And if Renee had anything to do with it, they wouldn't get away with it, any of it.

Renee grew up in New York—a city screaming with diversity. It was easy to blend in there unnoticeably. But when her father received a job offer from the small town of Forks, Renee was finally introduced to the racism she always heard about. It wasn't enough that she looked like an outcast; she had to feel like one too. The majority of the people in Forks were white and they weren't afraid to remind her of her inferiority. Don't get her wrong, she had friends. She had quite a few, actually, but she knew that some of them were more interested in getting to know the black girl rather than getting to know her. But others who were too good to associate with her made sure they put her down every time they could. Some of them did it with looks and whispers. Others were bolder and told her to her face that she didn't belong. For the most part she ignored it but she couldn't when people disrespected her to her face. So, of course she defended herself but that just seemed to make people angrier. It also made people more interested in—and a little afraid of—the "angry black girl."

Renee was pretty enough but she figured she'd never get a boyfriend in Forks. All of the white guys were either afraid of her, were afraid of the stigma they'd receive if they got romantically involved with her, or just simply didn't want to waste their time dipping into the dirty side of the color line. So when she met Charlie Swan, she was pleasantly surprised. During the summer after her sophomore year, she and a few friends decided to go to First Beach. That day, when she was hit in the head with a football, not only did she realize why Charlie never made their high school football team, she realized that not all of the boys in her school were so bad.

Charlie had been smitten since that day on the beach. During their first two years of high school, he had noticed her. He'll admit, at first he was just fascinated because she was the only black girl in school, but soon enough that was the last thing on his mind. She might not have been the prettiest girl in the school but she was to him. And it was mostly because of her confidence. She kept her head up every day, even amongst all of the whispers and stares. There were quite a few times he witnessed her defending herself to the snobby, racist girls in their school and Charlie was convinced that that was what made him fall in love with her. She was sassy and fiery and a lot of people thought it was because she was the resident "black girl with an attitude" but it was because she had to be that way in order to protect herself. Charlie loved that about her. She was everything he wasn't. So he was happy when that stray football (the one he was very close to catching) hit Renee square in the face. A part of him was afraid that she'd roast him but the other part was happy that the football allowed him to do what he was always afraid to – approach her. He wasn't great with girls so he was really nervous but Renee was nice to him.

When Renee went to La Push that day she never thought she'd meet the father of her child there. But she was happy she had. She had also made some excellent friends. Unfortunately, those weren't all she made. She made tons of enemies as well. She really thought it couldn't get worse than Forks but boy was she wrong. The women in La Push did not hide their disgust whenever Renee was on their grounds. It was just awful when she and Charlie got married. She got threatening phone calls and notes. The women were relentless with their insults. But even with all of the harassment, Renee never imagined that it would all come to a head that awful day at her expense. The physical pain could never match the emotional pain she had felt when she was being pummeled by those monsters. Not only was she hurting for herself, but for her child, too. She was upset that her daughter was probably wondering where her mommy was. And she was also upset that one day, her daughter might have to deal with the same racism she had encountered herself. That day, while she was getting punched and spat on, she determined that she wasn't going to live like that anymore. It wouldn't be her life anymore. It wouldn't be her daughter's life. So she left. As soon as she recovered, she packed up her and her daughter's things and left. She wished she could say that she never turned back but she had, plenty of times. She was in love with Charlie and she missed their friends but she knew that she was making the right decision for herself and her daughter. So she just didn't understand how they were here in a waiting room today. What were they doing here? How did they get here? How had she failed? Most of all, how had _Charlie _failed? Again?

As a somber Renee thought about this over and over again, she stayed silent.

Both adults stayed silent for the rest of the night.

* * *

Renee woke to the smell of orange juice under her nose. Her eyes fluttered open. Charlie was bent down in front of her.

"Good morning," he said, tentatively.

Renee sat up a little and rubbed her eyes. "Good morning." She grabbed the cup and thanked him. She smelled coffee and noticed that he had a cup of his own. The inner Renee smiled. He remembered that she didn't drink coffee.

"I can't believe I fell asleep before I could see Bella."

"You weren't the only one who fell asleep," he said as an exhausted Paul came out of Bella's room. He stopped in his tracks once he spotted Renee. He smiled.

"You must be Bella's mom."

Renee smiled and stood up. "Yes, I suppose you are Paul."

He nodded and shook her hand. "It's so great to meet you. She looks just like you. Beautiful."

Renee smiled and blushed a little. Paul laughed. "Same blush, too."

Charlie cleared his throat and rolled his eyes. "_She got the blush from me, too," _he thought_._ "How's she doing?"

"She still hasn't woken up. The doctor is checking on her right now," Paul said as he sat in Jake's former seat. "Where's Jake?"

"He had to go see his father, but he said he'll be back soon."

* * *

Jake nodded as Billy spoke to him. "Are you sure you want to do this, Dad?"

"Yes. It's probably something that should have been done a long time ago. I'm just sad that it took all of this for me to realize it."

Jake nodded. He couldn't agree more. He was about to respond when his phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and rolled his eyes. He wanted to ignore it but a part of him thought she must have been calling for a reason. He sighed. "I'm going to answer this really quickly. I'll be right back."

Jacob stepped outside and answered the phone. "Now really isn't a good time, Vanessa."

Vanessa sighed. "I need to talk to you, Jake. It's really important."

Jake sighed. He really wanted to tell her to shove it but his mom and dad taught him better than that.

"Okay well we need to make it fast. What is it?"

"I need to speak to you in person."

Jake sighed heavily and ran his free hand through his black hair. "Fine. Meet me at my place in fifteen minutes." He hung up and went to inform his father of his departure. _Taha Aki, he really hoped this wasn't a complete waste of time._

Twenty minutes later, a visibly shaken Vanessa was sitting across from Jake on his couch. She made sure she was on the far end.

"So…," Jake started.

Vanessa wasn't quite sure where to start. She knew Jacob would be extremely angry with her once she told him this. She played with her fingers and stayed silent. Jake sighed.

"Vanessa, you said it was important, so what is it? I don't have time for this," he said. He was already annoyed. That wasn't a good sign.

"Jacob, I don't know how to tell you this, so just bear with me. Before you get angry, just please try to understand. I was scared and I didn't know what to do," she cried. Now Jacob was worried. He moved a little closer. "What is it, Ness?"

She wiped her eyes. "I saw…"

"Saw what?"

"The attack. I saw Bella getting attacked."

Jake's whole demeanor changed. "**What?**" he bit out.

Vanessa hiccupped. This wasn't going to be fun.

"Vanessa, what the hell do you mean you saw the attack?" He was speaking silently, but she knew that meant he was just getting started with her. She really hoped she was doing the right thing.

"I was driving home from a party in Forks when I heard screams. I wasn't sure what it was so I stopped my car and walked up to this house at the edge of Forks." She paused at this point. She was afraid to look up at Jake. She knew that his eyes had turned dangerously dark by now.

She took a deep breath. "I saw…I saw Bella, on the floor…and…and they were kicking her, and…"

Jacob hopped up and Vanessa did the same. "Jake, you have to understand, I didn't know what to do!"

"You didn't know what to do?" he yelled. "Don't give me that bullshit, Vanessa! Try going in to stop them, or calling 911! Or calling ME! Don't tell me you didn't know what to fucking do!"

He was starting to shake. Vanessa wanted desperately to try to calm him down. She knew how but she figured that he wouldn't want her to, especially considering she was the one he was angry with.

"I was scared!"

He turned toward her faster than she could blink. His hair was wild but his eyes were wilder.

"Scared of what, huh? What could _you_ possibly be scared of? Were you the one lying there on the floor, getting beaten almost to death? The one getting punched, kicked, and stomped on? Huh? **No**, because it was Bella. Bella was the one who was getting attacked. She was the one who deserved to be scared, not you. But you weren't thinking of that, were you?"

He stopped for a second and thought. "You wanted that to happen to her."

Vanessa's eyes were wide. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Don't think I didn't find out about that fight you had with her. The one where you told her she deserved everything she got. I wouldn't be surprised if you were one of the girls who attacked her," he said, as he started walking closer.

Vanessa backed up. "What? Jake, how could you think that?"

He was surprisingly calm as he stalked toward her. She knew better than to mistake his seeming calmness for actual calmness.

"Was it you? Were you one of the girls who beat her up? Who put her in the trunk of a car and left her in there to die? Huh?"

Tears leaked out of Vanessa's eyes as he backed her up into the couch. He towered over her. His eyes were dark and dangerous. And for the first time, Vanessa could say she was scared of Jacob Black.

"Jake," she said shakily, "I **promise **you, I was not involved in this. I know what I said to her, but I was angry. I was so angry about you two and I lashed out!"

Jake shook his head. He looked at her in disgust. She had never seen that look from him before…at least directed to her. "_That's _why. You wanted her to suffer because of me. Because of us. You were so jealous that you wanted to watch her die, huh?"

"What? NO! Jake, no! You have to believe me! I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I didn't know what to do! I went back to the house to see if she was there but I saw police officers all over the place so I figured they got her and she was okay!"

"You figured she was okay? YOU FIGURED SHE WAS OKAY?" Vanessa jumped at the power and viciousness in Jacob's voice. She wanted to melt into the couch when he bent down to her level.

"Do you think 'okay' is being in a coma? Is 'okay' having a broken jaw? Is 'okay' having broken ribs _this_ close to piercing her lungs? Is 'okay' lying in a pool of her own blood for hours in a small, hot trunk? Is that fucking _okay_ to you? Maybe if YOU had gotten her some help, she wouldn't be lying in a coma right now!"

Vanessa burst into tears at that last comment. He was right. Maybe Bella wouldn't be there if Vanessa had called for help.

She felt Jacob's heat leave her so she opened her eyes. He continued to shake his head and pace.

"Jake, I'm so sorry…"

"Cut the crap, Vanessa. Your sorrys don't mean a damn thing to me. You may as well have been one of the ones who beat her."

Vanessa continued to cry as Jacob started to walk away from her. "Please!" she exclaimed as she got onto her knees and grabbed on to his legs. She was desperate for him to believe her. Desperate for him to forgive her.

"Please, Jake! I'm so sorry. Please believe me! Please, Jake, please, please," she continued to beg as she tried despairingly to hold onto him.

Jacob grabbed her arms and pushed her off of him. "Get the hell out, Vanessa. And don't come back until you tell the police what you saw. Hell, don't come back even _if_ you're selfless enough to tell the damn truth."

With that, Jacob took off out of the back door, stripping as he went, leaving a broken, crying Vanessa on his living room floor.

* * *

Billy sat in between Sue and Old Quil while they waited for everyone to show up. The wolves already in the room snickered when they heard Old Quil tell Billy and Sue to stop flirting like shameless teenagers. The three were the only Elders who were available for this meeting but the whole council had met the day before and had come to an agreement.

An angry Jake barreled in moments after a despondent Paul. Everyone looked at Jake questioningly but he just looked straight ahead. Billy sighed and took his gavel to the table.

"This meeting is in session. It was called to address the attack against Isabella Swan early yesterday morning. This has probably been a long time coming and I am extremely regretful that we did not take precautions before it could happen. Now as some of you may know, unfortunately, this is not the first time something like this has happened.

"Many years ago, I was just a little older than you guys when another woman of color was attacked by a group of women from both Forks and La Push. She was a very dear friend of mine, and her attack was one of the reasons I looked forward to becoming chief. I wanted to prevent something like this from happening to anyone else.

"Unfortunately, I failed. And I will never forgive myself for that. As the leader of this council it was my duty to ensure that everyone was safe. Even though Bella does not live in La Push, you all know that she is a part of our community. She should never have been made to feel like she isn't. It was our responsibility to make sure that she was not harassed, especially from people within La Push. We should have done more to protect her and now she is suffering because of this failure.

"Fortunately, the perpetrators are being held accountable by the Forks police department. But the job doesn't end there. As the figures of authority in this community, we have to ask ourselves why something like this is even possible. Why so much disrespect and plain hatred can be thrown towards someone of a different race.

"Of course, that is a huge question that can probably never be answered. There are just ignorant people out there who discriminate against others because of their differences, and our community is unfortunate enough to be riddled with some of them.

"After the council came to this conclusion, we thought about what we could do to remedy this. Of course, we cannot go into people's homes and change their mindsets. But we can implement greater punishments for people who display any disrespect towards others for whatever reason, especially if it comes down to property damage or actual physical harm. Although some of the property damage occurred in Forks, it was done by people in our community so we should have recognized that and done more than just fire the criminals.

"We can get to the specifics of those new punishments later. But something we can do immediately is probably something that should have been canceled a very long time ago. Records go back to centuries before our existence, when wolves would be forced to find an imprint by their twenty-second birthdays. When I learned about it, I thought it was a bit ridiculous but being the traditional man that I am, I wanted to stay true to the customs of our ancestors. Therefore, I went along with the tradition. I forced you guys into it and for that, I apologize.

"Now I realize that Bella's relationship with Paul has received a lot of negative attention from some of the women in the community, namely the ones who have been harassing her. Unfortunately, the racism has been made worse by the fact that these women seem to think that a non-native should not be the mate of who they consider one of _their_ men. Of course, we know that this is not true. Paul and Bella are allowed to love whoever the hell they want.

"But as the council we did recognize the effect that the imprinting season had on what transpired between Bella and these women. We're disgusted that this was a part of the problem because it is something that we could have controlled ourselves. Therefore, we have come to the decision that this requirement, to find an imprint, is no longer in effect. Imprinting season is cancelled."

At that, the gavel hit the table with finality.

* * *

She felt Paul's breath in her ear and his heat on her flushed skin.

"Tell me what you want me to do to you," he whispered as she felt his erect member brush against her thigh. Her breath caught. Before she could say anything she felt someone else's hot breath against her ear.

"Tell _me_ what you want _me_ to do to you."

Soon, she felt Jake's tongue slide up her neck slowly. She shuddered.

_Dear Lord_.

Before she could respond, she felt both men's mouths on either side of her, licking, biting, and sucking. They moved in synchrony down her neck, to her breasts. Both mouths descended on either nipple and she almost stopped breathing.

_Damn, this double stimulation is crazy!_

She squirmed as their tongues played with her nipples. She moaned as their mouths sucked at her breasts roughly. It seemed like they would devour them. She totally didn't mind.

Her breathing got more labored as two hands slid down her stomach. They were both headed for the same destination and she couldn't wait.

One hand stopped at her clit. The other slipped a finger into her hole. She shrieked.

_Oh Taha Aki, that felt good._

She panted as both men's fingers moved faster, outside and within her. _Their team work was fantastic. She knew if they put their…heads together things would work out._

She suddenly felt like she needed someone's lips on her mouth. As soon as that thought came to her, she felt one of the guys' mouths on hers. She moaned and really didn't give a shit who was kissing her at the moment. _He was just really good. Oh my Taha Aki his tongue was so tasty. And he was really focused, because both fingers were still putting in work down there._

As both fingers moved impossibly faster, like shape shifter fast, Bella heard the one who wasn't ravaging her mouth speaking to her in another language. She figured it was Quileute because that was probably the only other language any of them were taught in school or at home.

She reluctantly and lazily removed her mouth from…Jake's and looked over at Paul.

"Hmmmm?" Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as one of them slipped another finger into her.

Paul kept speaking in Quileute. "Ughhhhh…huhhhhh?" she murmured very intelligently as her core contracted in preparation for her sure to be amazing orgasm. He continued to speak to her in another language quietly. She would have been very frustrated if he weren't about to push her into a very rewarding climax.

Jake's mouth sucked on her neck harshly and her mouth opened in what she was sure to be a very embarrassing scream when her eyes jerked open.

She woke to someone speaking Quileute softly in her ear.

* * *

**Just so you know, the "angry black girl" thing is no joke – I went to a predominantly white high school in Brooklyn and I had a couple of boys tell me that they were afraid of me. Lol. -_-**

**So what do we think about Renee? Her time here definitely is not over. And yay, no imprinting season, right? If I'm in a fun mood I might write the town's reaction to it.**

**And speaking of fun, I know that sex scene was really random – lol come on, I had to break the tension. The non-sexual tension, of course.**

**What do we think about Vanessa? Is she sorry? Did she **_**want**_** all of that to happen to Bella or was she just scared?**

**So I figure I update a little too frequently – I think I might take a little break. Lol! Or you'll get an update in a few days, as per usual…lol.**

**Thanks so much for the reviews, etc. :)**


	14. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

She woke to someone speaking Quileute softly in her ear.

When she opened her eyes, all she could register was that voice and…pain.

_Intense pain._

A lot of it was actually coming from her jaw. Speaking of…

"Mmmm…" she tried to test out her voice.

The Quileute stopped abruptly.

"Bella?"

She slowly tried to move her head to the side. It was difficult, but she just managed to see who was sitting beside her. She was horrified.

"Bwiyy?" _Damn_, her jaw was hurting. But not only that, she just had a wet dream about _his_ son, and not only THAT but his son and another guy…at the same time! She was really happy he wasn't a wolf with super senses that could sniff out her arousal. What if one of them walked in and smelled that? What would they think? That she was getting aroused by Billy? Oh God, they were going to think she was a nursing home robbing freak!

Billy chuckled a little and gave Bella a big smile. "Welcome back, Bella. You were out for quite some time." He grabbed a glass of water, placed a straw in it and held it to her mouth. She took a small sip.

"Tank oo." She tried to pout but it took too much out of her. Billy smiled gently in pity. "I'll go get the doctor, sweetheart." He wheeled out of the room.

Bella wondered how long she had been out of it. Maybe it had been a month. She wondered how much she had missed. Wow, this might actually be kind of fun.

The doctor walked in.

"Well good morning, Bella. How are you feeling? I heard you're having a bit of trouble talking."

"Ya."

"Where are you feeling pain?"

"Jaw…head…eeywhee," Bella mumbled. The doctor smiled a bit. "That's to be expected. I'll have the nurse give you some medication to ease the pain. I'm just happy you're back and I'm sure all of those people who have been in and out of here will be happy, too. Do you know what day it is?"

Bella thought about it. The last thing she remembered was slapping the shit out of Vanessa, and that was…Saturday! "Sauday."

The doctor wrote something down. "Well it's actually Tuesday, Bella. You were admitted on Sunday morning. Do you know what year it is?"

Wow, maybe she didn't miss as much as she thought. Unless…

"Twele." The doctor nodded and smiled a little. "I assume you mean 2012. But just to make sure, who is the current president?"

Bella tried to smile. This doctor was kind of cute. "Bawa," she murmured. The nice doctor held in his laughter. "I'm going to guess you mean Obama. Is that right?"

"Ya."

He nodded. "Okay, the nurse will be right in with something to help with the pain. Hopefully you will be talking normally soon. Would you like to see your father? He's sitting in the waiting room."

"Ya. Tanks." He smiled and walked out. She tried to see his butt through his white doctor coat. _Damn._

Charlie walked in and smiled.

"Hey, sweetheart."

"Hi."

"How are you feeling?"

"Ine."

Charlie smiled. "I'm so happy you're okay, Bells. I was going stir crazy. And so were a lot of other people."

"Uh."

He chuckled. "I kind of like you like this. It's like you're one again."

Bella squinted. He knew she was trying to give him one of her looks.

He ran his fingers through her hair. "God, Bella…I'm so sorry." She looked at him in confusion but before she could attempt to question him, the nurse walked in and administered her medication.

* * *

"I always knew there was something wrong with that bitch," Jared murmured as they all sat in Sam and Leah's house.

"I should have helped Bella kick her ass the other day," Leah murmured as she sat in Sam's lap.

Paul paced back and forth as Jake rocked back and forward in his seat. Quil was biting his fist and Embry was rubbing his forehead. Seth and Jared sat fuming on the floor while Collin and Brady patrolled.

"I really hope she goes to the police," Seth whispered, "this is wrong. So wrong."

"If not, we'll have to make her," Paul said as he clenched his fists. Sam knew that he was yearning to get out but his alpha command prevented him from doing so. He needed to stay there because Sam knew that if Paul let his wolf out, he might hurt someone and although he thought he wanted to do that, Sam knew that he would feel like shit about it in his human form. So he couldn't let him go out there when he was this angry.

"I think she'll do it," Jake murmured. "I made her feel pretty guilty. But I made sure she knew never to come back. I can't believe I was ever interested in her."

Before anyone could respond, Jake's phone rang. He saw it was Charlie so he immediately answered. "Hey Charlie."

"She's awake." Everyone but Leah knew what was said. Paul was out the door before Jake could hang up.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Bella woke up feeling groggy but kind of refreshed at the same time. Well, as refreshed as can be without having taken a bath or brushing her teeth in a couple days. Ahh, squeaky clean.

Bella tried to move her jaw and noticed that it felt much better than it had earlier.

When she looked to her side, she was surprised to see a smiling and tearful face next to her.

"Mom?"

"Bella, honey." Renee smoothed the hair out of Bella's face. "How are you feeling?"

Bella shrugged. She was finally able to move her arms. "Okay, I guess. What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? My child is in the hospital, where else would I be?"

Bella felt kind of stupid. Of course her mother would be here. She freaked whenever something was wrong with Bella.

"Of course, Mom, sorry. I'm okay, I guess. I just don't really remember what happened." There was this space of two days between what she remembered and the current moment. Nothing like this had ever happened to her. She felt lost. And it was scary not knowing what happened to put her in the hospital.

Renee looked on her daughter sadly. "I really don't want you to remember."

Bella sighed. It must have been really bad.

"But you need to in order to get justice for yourself. I don't want to be blunt but your father told me that one of your friends found you in the trunk of a car."

Bella's eyes widened unattractively. "Huh? What?" Who the hell would put her in the trunk of a car?

"I know, honey, I know." Renee tried to calm Bella down by stroking her hair. "Some idiot girls put you in there after beating you up."

Bella sighed and lied back when everything started coming back to her. _Damn it. Of course it was them._

All of the images assaulted her then.

The screams.

The hits.

The tears.

The kicks.

The prayers.

_The pain._

The tears came before she thought of them.

"Oh, baby," Renee sat on the edge of the bed next to Bella and wrapped her arms around her. "I know baby, I know. You're okay now. It's all over. No one's going to hurt you anymore, sweetheart. I promise."

As her mother spoke to her softly and stroked her hair, she realized how much she needed her around. She felt like a little girl again. A huge part of her just wanted to call her "mommy" and curl up into her side to avoid everything. But she was an adult and she couldn't do that anymore.

"So where are they?" Bella asked. She couldn't really feel safe if they were still running around out there.

"The two of them are currently in jail without bail—"

"Two? There were four, mom."

Renee looked at her. She was horrified. "Four?"

"Yes, mom." Bella sighed and rolled her eyes. "And I bet they're going to get away with this, too." She rested her head on her mother's chest and sobbed.

"No they are not, Bella. Especially not while I'm here," she continued to stroke Bella's hair. "God, my poor baby…how did this happen?" She wasn't really asking Bella. It seemed she was asking herself.

Bella shrugged. "I didn't think it would go this far." She tried not to cry. But with her mother there she really couldn't help it.

Renee wiped Bella's cheeks. "I didn't either. But some people are just cruel and ignorant, sweetheart. You run into people like them everywhere."

"Not in New York."

"Oh yes, baby. In New York, everywhere. You can't avoid them…"

Bella felt like her mother was trying to tell her something.

Tears slowly slid out of Renee's eyes as she continued to stroke Bella's hair. "You know, when this happened to me, I promised myself it would never happen to my baby girl."

"Mom, it's not your fault."

"No, it's Charlie's."

Bella sighed. That's why he was apologizing earlier. "It's not his fault either, Mom. Dad can't protect me all the time. He can't be everywhere that I am. I know that you're looking for someone to blame but it's not him. If it's anyone's fault it's those girls' and my own for being dumb enough to go to the house so late."

"Don't you dare blame yourself, Bella. It's not your fault that there are ignorant people out there like those heathens."

"And it's not Dad's fault, either. So don't blame him, _Renee_." Bella called her that for emphasis.

Renee smiled a little and looked at Bella through watery eyes. "I know, I know baby but it's hard. I just needed him to protect you, Bella. God, this is why I never wanted you to come here. This is exactly why I left, so that you'd never have to experience this."

Bella nodded against her mother's chest. "So what are you saying? Are you saying that I should leave? Do you regret leaving?"

"Yes and no. I regret it because I left almost everything I loved behind. I don't regret it because I needed a new start." Renee sighed. "To be honest, if I were you I'd pack up and leave because it's the easy way out. But in reality, I shouldn't have run away. I shouldn't have given up so easily. I almost lost everything I loved. I don't want the same thing to happen to you."

Bella was confused. She thought that her mother would want her to leave. "So you think I should stay?"

Renee sighed. "God, I'm so confused, Bella." Renee got up and walked around the room. "I was really hoping you wouldn't have to see another one of these rooms until you were having my grandbabies," she smiled wistfully. She leaned against the wall across from Bella's bed.

"When I left, I thought I was doing the right thing for the both of us. But somehow, you still ended up here. That's probably because you couldn't stay away from La Push, no matter how much I warned you against coming back.

"And don't get me wrong, sweetheart. I'm not blaming you for this. No one can control other people's actions. So I was wrong for blaming your father. But I think a deep part of me resents him for not being able to protect me, and now you. I don't know how to get over it, Bella."

Renee looked at her daughter intently. "So I think when I left, not only was I trying to protect us, I was trying to punish your father. It was his job to keep me safe and he failed. At least, that's how I saw it. This time, it was supposed to be his job to keep you safe. But I guess I need to come to terms with the fact that he can't be everywhere at once."

Bella had the feeling her mother was having difficulty expressing her feelings about Charlie.

"It's just, I saw him as some kind of hero, you know? I put him on a pedestal and he fell. He fell hard. So I left. And when I think back on it, I know I believed I was doing the right thing but right now, I'm not so sure. It still happened. We're still here."

Bella looked at her mother. She wasn't quite sure what to make of what she was saying.

"Sometimes I think I made a mistake. I tried to be happy with my decision, but…I just wasn't. For a long while there I thought I was, but I just wasn't happy, Bella. And I don't know if you will be, either."

"So you are saying that I should stay?"

Renee sighed and walked back over to the bed. She put her hand on Bella's face.

"When it comes down to it, only you can decide what's right for you, baby."

* * *

Quil took a couple of deep breaths. He looked around as he walked up to the house. He heard breathing inside so he knew she was there. He knocked on the door.

She looked surprised once she opened it.

"Quil? What are you doing here?" Her voice was shaky and so was her breathing. Her tear-streaked face was not a deterrent for him.

"We need to talk." He made moves to walk inside before she invited him in.

Quil had always been nice to Vanessa but after what she had revealed to Jake, she wasn't so sure if he was going to be so nice this time. She definitely didn't deserve for him to be nice to her.

"I guess you heard that I saw," she said as she sat at the far end of the couch.

"Yes. Look, I already saw the conversation you had with Jake in his head. I'm not here to yell at you. But you need to understand a couple of things.

"I've had to deal with a lot of shit as a wolf, Vanessa. Not only did I have to come to terms that I was different from the norm—you know, being a huge, hairy beast and all—but I had to carry all of the changes that came with it. There were the benefits, like being bigger and stronger. All the girls want me and all the guys are afraid of me. That's not too bad. But what's not so great is the fact that we're bound to this society forever. I love La Push but one day it would be nice to be able to go explore…you know? But I have to stay here pretty much for my whole life, at least, in the near future. And on top of that, we have to kill vampires. We _exist_ to kill vampires. I love the idea that I'm protecting my people and my community, but it's not the most fun thing in the world, you know? The sweet, sickly smell is bad enough but when we have to tear them limb from limb it's disgusting. The taste doesn't go away for hours. It's nauseating. I mean, there's a rush because it's kind of like a sport but at the same time it's not because it's something that could get us killed with just a squeeze or a bite. It's fucking scary."

Vanessa wasn't quite sure why Quil was telling her all of this, but she knew better than to interrupt him.

"You might be wondering why I'm telling you this. Basically what I'm trying to say is that it's scary as fuck to deal with vampires sometimes. Despite that, I kind of know what to expect from them. I know the kind of damage they can do. But what I never imagined I'd have to deal with was seeing the kind of damage humans could do to other humans. It was almost…worse. I know that blood thirsty vampires don't really have consciences. But to know that humans can be that way, too? There was so much disregard for her life. Do you know what that's like? What it's like to think that humans can be worse than vampires?"

Ahhh, now Vanessa saw where he was going with this. He was about to lay another guilt trip on her. She couldn't really say she blamed him. He clasped his hands together and stared straight ahead of him.

"You don't know what it was like, Vanessa. You don't know what it was like finding her in the trunk of that car. Smelling her blood, following the trail of that smell knowing that I was about to find her, but not knowing if I would find her dead or alive."

Quil took a deep breath. His whole body shook, but not with anger. There were so many emotions crossing his face and his voice. He tried his best to stay monotone but he knew that if he did, she wouldn't experience the greatest effect of what he was trying to depict.

"I was scared to open up that trunk because I didn't know what I was going to see. When I opened it up, it was like a fucking nightmare, Vanessa. There was blood everywhere. I couldn't even recognize her face. I mean, could you imagine that?" He looked up at her then, watery eyes to watery eyes. "Could you imagine not being able to recognize one of your good friends because someone has beaten her up so badly that her face is destroyed? So badly that the only thing you can recognize about her is her smell? And that's only because I'm a wolf.

"It's awful, Vanessa. It's awful to feel like I could have done something if I had shown up sooner. It's awful to run to the hospital, with my friend's limp body in my hands, wondering if I'll make it there just in time or if I'll be too late."

Quil took a couple of deep breaths to halt the tears. That didn't work. "You don't know what that's like, Vanessa. I wouldn't want you to know what it's like because it's terrible. It's scary and it's fucking hard. It's fucking _hard_. And what's even worse is to know that two of the women who did this to her haven't even been punished for it. At this rate, it seems like they won't be unless Emily and Serena give them up. And I don't see that happening.

"Basically, Vanessa, I just want you to do the right thing. I know you and Bella didn't get along so much but that doesn't mean she deserved what she got. She didn't deserve to be beaten within an inch of her life. What she deserves is justice. After all of the harassment, after all of the abuse, she deserves justice. And I think you know that you might be the only one who can help her get that. So please don't let your hatred, jealousy, whatever it is, get in the way of justice being served. I know if the roles were reversed someone would be asking Bella the same thing. And I'm sure you wouldn't want to be in her position; you wouldn't want someone you love to be in her position and know that someone could have helped put the criminals who did this behind bars." He shook his head. "Just think about it, Vanessa."

With that, Quil got up, walked out, and didn't look back.

* * *

Sue massaged Billy's shoulders as they sat in front of the television in Billy's living room.

"I'm soooo stressed," Billy said as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

Sue rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know, big baby. I bet you want me to take care of that stress, huh?"

Billy smirked. "You're the only one that knows how…"

Before they could get into it, Billy's doorbell rang. He rolled his eyes. "Dang it," he said as he rolled his chair over to the door. He opened it to see a group of several angry girls staring back at him. "Uh, hello ladies, can I help you?" He felt Sue come up behind him.

"What is _this_, Chief?" One of the girls held up a piece of paper. Sue took it from her and read:

"_Dear Residents of the La Push Community,_

_The majority of you are aware of the council members' sons being offered romantically to the young women of our community. This has been a long-standing tradition of honor._

_But, this season, some women in the La Push community have not been acting honorably._

_Some of you may have already heard about the attack that was issued against a young woman from the Forks community. This young woman has been involved with one of the council members' sons and unfortunately, some girls from our community decided that she should be punished for it because she is not from the reservation. Therefore, not only did they attack her, they tried to destroy her property multiple times._

_Due to the actions of these immature, hateful women, the council is sad to say that the men will no longer be offered to the young ladies on this reservation. This is not to say that they cannot date anyone; there will just not be any 'competition' for their affections, at least not any official competition._

_In light of the multiple attacks on this young woman, the council would also like to say that there will be no toleration of disrespect, abuse, or discrimination on our grounds. Punishments will be implemented and distributed to anyone who displays any type of prejudice in our community. We are disgusted and deeply ashamed of what took place and trust that the Forks Police Department will give the women the punishment they deserve._

_Sincerely, _

_The La Push Council_

_Chief William Black_

_Abel Black_

_Quil Ateara I_

_Joshua Uley_

_Sue Clearwater_

_Michael Lahote_

_Jason Spear"_

Sue closed the letter. "What's wrong with this?"

"What's wrong with this? WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS?" One of the young women screeched. Billy and Sue cringed. "So because of some stupid girls the rest of us have to suffer? I was really making some headway with Seth!" She pouted.

Sue frowned. Seth didn't want her.

"Look girls, we're not saying that you can't see any of the guys," Billy said, though he knew that none of the guys were actually interested in any of these girls. "This 'imprinting season', as we sometimes call it, is a very old tradition that probably should have been cancelled a long time ago. But after all of the crimes committed in the name of this competition, the council as a whole came to the conclusion that this season is very detrimental to the community, especially when there are young women who are willing to go to any lengths to get what they want. It's really their fault that this is coming to an end. So if you want to blame anyone, take it up with the women who attacked that poor, innocent girl from Forks."

* * *

Paul was so excited. It took him little more than five minutes to get to the hospital. He was practically bouncing on his feet. So when he got to the hospital, he was just _a bit_ peeved to learn that the nurse gave her something that made her go back to sleep.

Damn.

But he was still so happy that she was awake!

And it wasn't so bad waiting for her to wake up. When Charlie went back to the station, Paul and Renee sat in the waiting room and talked to each other for a while. It was cool getting to know her. He could see where Bella got a lot of her spunk from. And it was awesome hearing about some childhood memories of Bella. Lots to hold over her head when she got better.

Jake had gone to run patrol so Paul was left in the waiting room alone while Renee spoke to Bella. He was surprised when he smelled his father.

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, kid. I knew you probably wouldn't be eating much so I decided to bring you some lunch. Taha Aki knows that bottomless pit of yours is complaining."

As soon as he said that, both men heard a huge growl. They laughed. "Thanks, Pops."

He grabbed the food and started eating. "So how is my future daughter-in-law?"

Paul stopped eating and looked at his dad. "Wow, really, Dad?" His father laughed. "Oh come on. Before we cancelled imprinting season you were going to ask her to be your imprint, right? Don't deny it; I've seen you with her. And you wouldn't be living in this waiting room day and night if you didn't want her so badly."

Paul shook his head. His father had always known him too damn well. "Yeah, whatever. She's awake, actually. Her mom is in there with her right now."

"Ahhh…Renee Dwyer?" Michael asked, with a scent of reminiscence in his tone. Paul looked at his father and raised his eyebrow.

"Yes…you know her?"

"Well I didn't really _know_ her, know her. I knew of her. Everyone was obsessed with her because she was new around Forks and La Push. I used to see her on the beach hanging out with Charlie, Billy, and the others. I was a little younger so I never spoke to her but oh…I knew of her."

Michael smiled and Paul thought that hell had frozen over. Was his dad lusting over his girlfriend's mom right now? He shuddered. No way they were getting married, over his dead fucking body. He wouldn't be dating his step sister. _Gross._ Though, the idea of him and Bella sneaking around, all incestuous and what not, wasn't so unappealing—

"Paul," his head shot up as he heard Renee's voice, "you can go see her now." She smiled.

He dropped his food and wiped his hands. "Thanks, Renee." He looked at his father, who was looking at Renee. He subtly rolled his eyes. _Dear Taha Aki. _

Paul knocked before walking in. He grinned widely as Bella's eyes fell on him. He had waited so long to see those orbs again. They gave him the craziest butterflies. "Beautiful, you're finally awake." She smiled a little as he came in and sat down.

"I've missed you," he said, grabbing her hand.

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard. I heard you were crying like a baby, too. Pathetic Paul, really."

He barked out a laugh. "You fucking wish, girl."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. After her discussion with Renee, it felt good to smile. It really did.

Damn, he missed this girl. He rubbed her cheek. He was delighted to see that the swelling was going down. "How are you feeling?"

"Well the pain medication the nurse slipped me hasn't worn off yet, so, considering the circumstances, pretty damn good."

He smiled. "That's good. You were out for a while there. I was worried."

She knew that he was sugarcoating his real feelings as his eyes bore into her own. She didn't want to embarrass him so she didn't bring up everything she heard him say when she was in the coma. So she just nodded.

"Well, I'm back now."

"Yeah but you took too fucking long, babe," he said as he stroked her hair. Everyone kept doing that.

She rolled her eyes. "From what I heard it was only for two days."

"Only? Two days, Bella. And not to mention you were ignoring me for a couple of days before that. It's been too long since I had a real conversation with you."

"Well I've been out for some time so I'm not going to be full of stuff to talk about."

"We can talk about what happened."

"Too bad I don't actually want to talk about it."

Paul sighed. "Bella…"

"Don't, Paul. I don't want to talk about it unless I need to talk to the cops, so just leave it alone." She moved her hand and looked away.

Paul didn't really know how to feel about that. He wasn't the best talker in the world but he liked when she confided in him. It made him feel needed. He wanted her to need him like he needed her.

* * *

Sue was in the kitchen cooking as Billy watched television. He loved having a woman in the house again. Sarah would always be number one in his heart, no matter who came along, but Sue was a close second.

As Billy drank his beer, he was startled when a disgruntled Sam ran in through the front door.

"Billy," he said, "we have a problem. A couple of fires have broken out throughout the neighborhood."

* * *

**I think you guys knew I'd be back soon, hehe. **

**So what about that conversation between Quil and Vanessa? Seems our Quilly is very shaken up…think he got through to her?**

**Did anyone expect that response from Renee? It seems she isn't as sold on Bella leaving as we thought she would be…if you're confused about her little speech, don't worry, Bella is too. Do we think she's going to stay? What about that little brush off with Paul? And what about Paul's dad? A slightly older Paul Lahote? **_**Yum.**_

**And what about those girls? I wonder how they'll react to Billy's suggestion to take their problem up with the perps… ;)**

**So I actually posted a poll sometime after my last update, on my profile. The question is whether Bella should end up with Jake, Paul, or both. What I forgot for a second is that this is a Paul and Bella story so the majority of you will probably choose Paul. Lol. So really the choice is between Paul and both men. A lot of you have expressed interest in the three of them working something out so I will leave the poll up for a while. If the majority of you choose both, I will figure that out. If the majority of you choose Paul, I'll go with that. Though I do **_**really**_** love the idea of our Bella having both…**

**I'd really love to know what you guys think…about anything.  
**


	15. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Billy's eyes widened. _Shit_.

"Where, Sam?"

"At Emily and Serena's houses. Seems that some people found out that they're the ones responsible for Bella's attack."

Billy shook his head and sighed at what he had started. He shouldn't have told those girls a damn thing.

"Okay well have the police and fire departments been called?"

"Yes, and I'm hoping they find who did it because Jacob and I don't recognize the scents at all."

Billy sighed and nodded. Sue came up beside him.

Sam acknowledged his future mother-in-law then asked, "Do you know why this is happening? Is it all because of what happened to Bella?"

Billy looked at Sue. She shook her head as Billy replied, "Not exactly. A few girls came over earlier and were angry about the cancellation of the imprinting process. I told them to take it up with the girls who were responsible for it. I guess they found them.

"Damn it Sam, I didn't think they'd take it literally. But I really should have known this would happen; seems like something's gone wrong with all of the women in this town."

* * *

Bella couldn't understand why Paul was still there.

_God, her head hurt. So did her jaw._

He grabbed her hand and she pulled it away. He sighed.

"Look, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"Talk about what?"

Paul looked at her questioningly. "The beating…"

Bella rolled her eyes. She was getting extremely impatient with him. "What beating, Paul?"

He looked at her weirdly. What the fuck was going on? Weren't they just talking about this?

Bella stared at him. "Hellooo. I asked you a question."

The venom that dripped from her voice surprised Paul. Whoa. That was a complete 180, even for his usually spunky girlfriend.

He stood up. "Um, I'll be back."

"Don't bother."

_Wow. _Paul scoffed to himself in disbelief. He must have said something really wrong.

Paul walked outside and located her doctor.

"Hey doc, I have a question about Bella. We were talking and all of a sudden she forgot what it was about. Then she kind of…got really upset with me, like she was mad at me or something. I don't think I said anything wrong though so it was strange. Is this some kind of side effect or something?"

The doctor sighed and scratched his head. He didn't even need to pick up Bella's chart to know what was wrong.

"This is normal for patients with head trauma. She's susceptible to short term memory loss, and also to bouts of anger and emotional outbursts. It'll also take her quite some time to remember all of the events of the past month, if she regains that memory at all. I spoke to her parents about it earlier. I know it'll be very frustrating for you but even more so for her. So whenever she's like that just try to refrain from pressuring her."

_Well this was fucking new._

"Well is there anything I can do for her?"

"Just try not to stress her out. And don't push her to try to remember anything, especially something like what put her here in the first place. It can be rather detrimental to her recovery. Also, whenever she begins to become irritated or angry, it would be best to get the nurse in there to sedate her."

The doctor was paged so he nodded at Paul and excused himself. What the hell was Paul supposed to do now? He knew he was being selfish but if she lost the last month, then would she remember all of the progress they had made? To her, it would be like they'd only been seeing each other for one month whereas it had really been two. They had become a lot closer in the last few weeks and he would hate for her to lose all of their memories. Would that push her even closer to Jake? _Fuck._

_Fuck._

_Fuck._

_Fuck._

_Fuck._

He was so _fucked._

And he was so damn selfish! He should be worrying about her recovery and how she was feeling but damn it if he didn't feel like a victim himself!

Wait.

Chill, Paul.

_This is not about you._

He had to keep reminding himself that he wasn't the real victim here.

_Fuck. _

_He really wanted to kill those girls._

* * *

"WHAT?" Emily screeched. "MY house? Why? How? How did this happen?"

Her father sat across from her in the prison visitation center.

"Well, it seems that what you've done has gotten around town. You know this is a small place, Emily. _Taha Aki_, what the hell were you thinking? I know I didn't raise you to act like this! Going around beating up on other girls? What the hell has gotten into you?"

"You're getting mad at me?" Emily asked as she stood up and paced in front of him. "You should be out finding the people who did that to my house!"

Henry looked up at his daughter. His stare shot daggers at her and the little girl in her reclined. "I don't know who the hell you think you're talking to young lady, but you need to sit your ass down, _right now_."

Emily's face was red, but her father's face was even redder. He was absolutely seething. She sat down.

"You're lucky I'm even in here talking to you right now. Do you know how _disgusted_ I am with you and your actions? Damn it, Emily, I knew I should have taken you away from your bigot mother when you were younger!"

Detective Wind shook his head. He never saw his daughter turning out like this. He hadn't known of his ex-wife's shady past before he married her.

So after he had a child with her, he had been surprised to learn from a member of her family of what she had done in the past, of what she was capable of. He was horrified when he learned of her actions. As a cop and as a man, Henry didn't want to be associated with, more or less married to, someone who could be capable of such hateful things. So he divorced his wife as soon as he could. Due to her appalling past and Henry's promising future, Henry managed to gain full custody of Emily while his ex-wife was only allowed supervised visits and phone calls. But as Emily got older, she took more control of when she saw her mother. That worried Henry but he didn't want to tell his daughter when she could or couldn't see her mom. He just hoped that his ex-wife's bigot ways had diminished as time went on.

He was wrong. And he was seeing that now in his only daughter.

"Don't talk about mom like that! This is not her fault," Emily exclaimed.

"Then whose fault is it? I know I didn't raise you to act like this. That girl has done nothing to you but live her life! What does that have to do with you?"

"Everything!"

Before Emily could explain, an officer walked in. "Your time is up."

Detective Wind took one last look at his daughter. "The only reason I'm still around is because you're my daughter. If you were someone else I'd help the Forks police throw your ass under the damn jail."

He walked out.

* * *

Charlie sat in the hospital waiting room.

He was so stressed out.

Not only did he have to deal with all of the paperwork surrounding his daughter's case, but he had to deal with the fact that two of the girls who were in on the attack were still out there sitting pretty. The guys told him that they definitely smelled two other scents by Emily's car and by Bella's place. He was hoping that he wouldn't have to depend on fate to catch them. With any luck, hair, or any other defining particles would be found on the scenes.

On top of that, he had to sit there in the waiting room and listen to Michael Lahote flirt with his ex-wife. _God, could this get any worse?_

His question had been answered when a solemn Paul came around the corner.

Michael looked up. "What's wrong, Son?"

"Bella. The doctor just told me about her short term memory and her 'emotional outbursts'."

Charlie and Renee nodded knowingly. "I know it's going to be hard but we all need to be there for her," Charlie said.

Paul nodded. "I'm going to go back in there and hope that she doesn't bite my head off."

Renee smiled a little. "Actually, the nurse just went in and administered some medication to her so she's sleeping right now."

Paul sighed and nodded. "I need to get some things done anyway. I'll be back later."

He left, defeated. With any luck, Charlie thought, Michael would leave too.

As Charlie hoped for some alone time with his ex-wife, Jake walked into the waiting room. "Man, I hate that it's been so long since I've seen her. I know she woke up hours ago but I had to patr…work."

Jacob changed his tune quickly when he remembered that Renee was there.

"It's okay. She was actually just put to sleep," Charlie said.

Jake nodded and sat down. "I'll wait."

"Well then there are a few things I should explain to you about her condition," Charlie stated. Luckily, Michael chose then to get back to his job. "_Good,"_ Charlie thought, "_good."_

A few long hours later, Jacob knocked on Bella's door before he walked in.

He smelled her tears before he saw them.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" He sat on the bed beside her and gently pulled her into his arms.

She sobbed and melted into his embrace. "The beating…how could they? What did I do? I didn't do anything to them," she cried as Jacob rocked her gently.

"I know baby; they're just hateful people. Hateful. You didn't do anything wrong."

He felt her scream into his chest before he heard it.

"God, I'm just so angry!" She pushed him away and pulled at her hair. _Hard._

He tried to pry her hands away from her head, fearing that she'd actually pull some strands of hair right out of her scalp. But his surprise got the best of him when she roughly pushed him away. He fell to the ground with a thud. Before he could even process what was happening, Bella grabbed a glass off of the bedside table and threw it at the opposite wall.

* * *

Down in La Push, things seemed to be spiraling out of control.

Soon after the fires came the looting.

Billy wasn't sure what had gotten into the women in his town.

Why was it that this one decision caused so much outrage?

Was it really _that_ important for these women?

Was the idea of having a chance with the council members' sons so essential to their lives that they were willing to risk jail time and harm and destruction to others?

Billy was disgusted. He didn't know what the parents had been teaching their daughters but telling by this reaction, he was quite sure it wasn't anything good.

It took the whole La Push police force, and some of Forks', to control the raving women. Billy was glad that the looting had come to an end but not without irrevocable damage.

And when he said irrevocable, he wasn't thinking about the physical.

La Push wasn't too far gone; it could always resile. But this was something that would never be forgotten. Never.

Not only were Emily and Serena's houses burnt to crisps, but stores had been broken into, stolen from, and destroyed. Unfortunately, Sue's café had not escaped unscathed. The windows and front door had been smashed, and the register had been broken into. This was the same fate for many shops in La Push, but some endured worse.

Trash was thrown into stores. Fires were set. Money, clothes, and appliances were stolen. Glass from broken windows and doors littered the streets. People had yelled, pushed, and shoved in the middle of the streets. Car tires screeched as drivers attempted to evade angry people armed with rocks, torches, and bricks.

Billy wanted to pull his hair out.

Was this really his town? Where had they gone wrong?

And the worst part of the whole thing was, was that the riots weren't about anything of substance – they were about a bunch of angry women reacting to the cancellation of an imprinting season that most likely would not have gotten them any men in the first place. It wasn't like any of them were really in the running anyway. And Billy was glad for that, because if they were reacting this way, they didn't deserve any of those guys.

There was a broken, beaten girl lying in a hospital bed and what enraged the women of the community more? Not that she was in the hospital, near death just a day before due to a hate crime, but that the women who put her in the hospital were responsible for the town's bachelors not being available anymore.

What had this community come to? What did it stand for, anymore? There was racism. There were crimes, competitions, riots—when would it end? _Where_ would it end? Would it end in death?

After what happened today, he actually feared being in that house by himself. In _his_ house. In _his_ home. In _his _community.

Billy remembered when La Push was a place of reverence, one that he and the council had been proud of. Now all they were left with were memories of a place that used to be, regrets that they hadn't seen this coming, and hopes that they could restore their town to its former essence.

Billy wasn't quite sure where they had gone wrong and what they needed to do to fix it, but he knew they had to figure out something fast.

As Billy sat and contemplated in his home that evening, he was surprised to hear a knock at the door. He hoped it wasn't one of the guys giving him more bad news. He figured it wasn't because they usually just walked right in. Billy rolled to the door and opened it. He saw a man in a suit staring down at him.

Before Billy could say anything, the man handed him an envelope.

"You've been served. Good evening." With that, the man walked away.

Billy looked down at the envelope.

_Fuck._

* * *

Everything seemed to be spiraling out of control for Bella. She had never felt this way before.

She was _so_ confused. She wasn't just confused about actual facts; she was confused about her own thoughts and feelings.

Every moment seemed to contain a fleeting memory. She would get these flashes of moments that she couldn't quite identify – she assumed they were events that occurred over the past month. Sometimes she'd see some rather…_explicit_ moments between herself and Paul, and other times she would see moments with Jake, or her dad, or her friends. And then there were the times she would catch glimpses of words and phrases on white walls—she wasn't quite sure where that came from. She remembered the destruction that those awful girls did to her car because it had been the previous month. So was it a stretch to think that those words and phrases in her memory came from some other type of hate crime? Where could that have occurred? Was it at home, in her dad's house? Dear God…

She didn't dare ask anyone. She didn't want anyone in her head. She _hated_ it when they asked her what she was thinking and how she felt. She felt scrutinized. She felt like they were judging her when they looked at her. She felt like they pitied her and it disgusted her. A part of her somewhere knew that it shouldn't have disgusted her. Like she should have been happy that they were worried about her. But it just made her **angry**.

Everything seemed to make her angry. But it was the absolute worst when she would get memories of the night that put her in that hospital. Every time she remembered it, it was worse than the last time. She would get glimpses of a fist or a shoe. Sometimes she even thought she could feel a shoe against her stomach or rough, unforgiving hands encircling her own. She would either scream and cry, or throw things. It was the worst when she threw things. She knew how she was acting was irrational, but it was like _she just_ _couldn't control it._

Before she even knew what she was doing, her hand would grab a hold of something—a pillow, a glass, whatever was near—and it would end up across the room in a matter of seconds..

It didn't always work when the nurses would remove the items or put them in "unreachable" areas of the room. If she were really angry, sometimes she would withdraw the IV from her arm and tip the stand over. Other times, she would sit up in her bed (as much as she could) and pull at her hair until she felt it tear. Until she saw strands of hair in her hands. Until she felt for blood on her scalp. And then she would scream. She would scream because it _hurt_, badly. There were still bandages on her head from her surgery but she didn't care. The pain was no deterrent for her. But she felt it, so she would scream loudly. She would scream and cry until the nurses came in to sedate her.

She didn't want it to happen. _But she just couldn't help it._

It was a fucking **nightmare**.

And she didn't know how to wake up.

She didn't know if she'd ever wake up.

* * *

Charlie sat in his office and smoothed his hands down his face.

He wouldn't readily admit this, but he thought that when Bella woke up, everything would be roses and cherries and back to normal in a matter of days.

No such luck.

After her breakdown with Jake, the nurses had to give Bella something to calm her down and Charlie had never felt so helpless in his life. _Well, maybe that wasn't true._

As his daughter struggled, Charlie felt like a failure for the third time in his life. Here his daughter was, a prisoner in her own mind, and he didn't have the authority to release her.

As he watched her sleep peacefully, he feared what was really going on in her head while she looked so physically calm. He feared for his child, not for the first time. He feared what was ahead for her. It would be a really long journey, her getting back to normal – something that unfortunately, would probably be unattainable. Something that those girls took away from her.

And what was even worse was that it seemed that two of the girls who sentenced his daughter to a present and future of difficulty and pain would get away with it.

As Charlie sat at his desk, his ringing phone interrupted his thoughts. He was very close to ignoring it, preferring to wallow in his daughter's misery, but something told him to answer.

"Chief Swan."

"Chief," his secretary began, "there is a Vanessa Scott here to see you."

* * *

**Okay, I have to thank Victoria for all of her help with the medical aspect of things. I stretched the truth wayyy far but that is not for lack of accurate information. Just think of this as a soap opera. People wake up from head surgery in like a day. And people can speak perfectly clearly with broken jaws. If werewolves can heal fast, so can humans, in my book. Maybe it's the werewolf love from two men, huh? **

**So the poll is interesting, and so are the reviews – I seem to be getting half for Paul and half for both men. I've gotten some good reasons for either choice. **

**So my story hasn't been removed yet HAHA but just a reminder that I'm on JBnP also. It's a good site so you guys should join.  
**

**Thanks for the reviews, etc. :)  
**


	16. Chapter 14

**Warning: Offensive Language; this warning should have been given in chapters past, so, my apologies!**

**Chapter 14**

It had been a couple of days and Bella felt awful.

Not only was she still in extreme physical pain, but she was very emotional.

She had had to undergo another surgery for her jaw and that was great because now she could speak without searing pain in her joints. But she couldn't seem to think without pain.

Her full memories were still escaping her but she continued to get glimpses of the past month. The worst ones were the ones where she felt criticized and disrespected. Lately, those had been the ones that made her angry—so angry that she had to be put under. She hated having to be sedated just to control herself. It was frustrating and it made her even angrier.

The memories that made her feel better were the ones she had of Paul.

She thought about how he had come through for her after the car scandal. She remembered how comfortable, safe, and protected he made her feel. She also remembered how desirable he made her feel. And that was just from the first month they spent together.

She had been getting glimpses of her time with Paul from the last month. She saw how he smiled at her. It wasn't one of those legendary "Paul" smiles where he smirked at her flirtatiously, although she did get quite a number of those. But for the most part, she got _real_ smiles – she got the genuine ones he gave no one else. Even more, she remembered the way he looked at her. There was this…_possession_…that was coming off of him in waves when he looked at her. It surprised her. What surprised her even more though was how she felt when he looked at her through her mind's eye. Just knowing that she belonged—that she belonged to _someone_—gave her this warm feeling in her gut. It made her feel wanted, _needed_. She got all of that from one look, and even more shocking, it was one look from Paul Lahote. She didn't know how they had become so close but a part of her, somewhere deep inside, felt like it was right.

The memories that confused her the most were the ones of Jacob. Weren't they supposed to be friends? He had been hitting on her relentlessly and what worried her was that a part of her actually liked it.

Bella didn't know what the hell was going on.

As she gave this some thought, she heard a knock on the door. She looked up and saw a tall man with flowers covering his face.

This was the worst part.

Over the past few days, she had only been receiving visits from Paul, Jacob, her mother, and father. Had she chased away everyone else? How come no one else was coming to see her? She could have sworn she had a lot more friends. And everyone who came to see her walked on eggshells around her. The fact that they tried so hard to placate her just made her more upset. It actually saddened her that they felt they had to be careful around her.

Paul put the flowers down on the table next to Bella's bed.

"Hey," he said sheepishly. Bella had never known Paul to be sheepish.

"Hey," she said softly. Paul seemed to relax into himself a little when he realized she was going to be sweet, for the time being.

"How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "I'm okay, I guess. Except I'm wondering why you, Jake, Renee, and Charlie are the only ones who visit. Did I scare everyone else off?"

Paul smirked. "No. The doctor just thought it was best to limit the number of people allowed to visit. He said that the confusion you felt after waking up would just multiply if you got visits from a lot of different people."

Bella wasn't quite sure how she should feel about the doctor monitoring her visitors but she guessed it made sense. She had been feeling very confused lately and on top of that, she didn't want to make anyone else uncomfortable with her mood swings. She had never been so moody in her life and she was happy her friends weren't there to bear witness to it.

"Do you know when I can go home?"

"Well the doctor has been really impressed with your progress. He thinks that you can head home sometime within the next two weeks."

"Two weeks? What am I going to be doing in here for two weeks?"

Paul shrank back a little. Bella was angry but she couldn't help but laugh at him. Paul looked at her skeptically.

"Bella…?"

She continued to laugh through her reply. "I can't believe you're scared of me."

_Hold up._

Paul raised his eyebrow. "What makes you think I'm scared of you?"

"The way that you always shrink back when I'm talking. Damn, what a lame. Aren't you a wolf?"

She smirked. He bit his lip. He really missed this playful side of her.

"Yeah, I am. Just trying to make you feel strong. But I'm not scared of you, little girl. Though I'm sure you pack a mean punch." He winked in that overly-confident way of his. It usually annoyed her but at the moment it comforted her to see something so familiar.

She laughed a little. It felt nice to let her guard down, even if it was just a little. This past week had been a complete nightmare but Paul had been there day in and day out. She must have underestimated whatever was going on between them before the accident. She thought it may have been just sexual but telling by her recent memories and Paul's constant presence, it was more.

That was definitely something she didn't anticipate as she began to recover. She had expected Paul to just visit her that one time and then just move on to his next, healthy conquest. But he had always been there. When she was mad, when she was sad. He was there. And for that, she was very grateful.

She pulled one of the flowers out of the bouquet. "These are beautiful. Thanks."

Paul smiled coolly and sat back. He looked calm but he was totally freaking out inside. This was the nicest she had been to him since she had woken up.

Paul was fine with dealing with Bella this way. He wasn't used to it but he knew it wasn't her fault. Even through all of her anger, Paul could see and sense the loss of control she felt. He knew she didn't want to act the way that she did so he didn't get angry or offended. He felt so helpless; the least he could do was visit with her every day, no matter how often she threw shade at him. Plus, he was a wolf – anger was not a strange emotion for him.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. I can't wait for you to get out of here. I am never leaving your side again."

Bella raised her eyebrow this time. "What makes you think I'll let you anywhere near me after I'm out of here? Of course right now, I have no choice…seeing as I am confined to this bed…"

Paul laughed. He knew this was her way of flirting with him. He was back in.

Before he could respond, he smelled Charlie coming. "We're going to have to argue this out later, sweet thing, because your father is heading this way."

She smiled as Charlie knocked and walked in.

"Hey, kids. I have some good news."

"What's up, Chief?" Paul turned and asked.

"Valerie Fox and Desiree Row have been brought into custody."

Bella wrinkled her nose. "Who are they?"

Charlie and Paul exchanged worried looks. They sensed what was coming. "They're the other two girls who attacked you, sweetheart."

Bella's mood suddenly changed. Paul felt his hackles rise. His wolf responded immediately whenever Bella was upset.

"How come they're only getting arrested now?" Paul could tell Bella was trying to control her anger. But he knew it was only a matter of time…

"Because we could only find evidence that implicated Emily and Serena. But someone came forward recently and told of the other two's involvement."

Bella immediately looked up at Charlie. "Who?"

"Vanessa Scott."

Bella furrowed her brow. "_Vanessa?_" She spit the name out with venom. "She knew and only came forward now?"

Charlie sighed and nodded. Paul shook his head. Why the hell did it take her this long?

On the other side of the border, Billy took solace in the fact that the riots had been brought to an end just a few hours after they had started. This actually desolated the town a bit considering quite a few people went to jail and La Push was quite a small place. But it was peaceful. The only problem was that there was so much cleaning up to be done because of all of the property destruction throughout town. Billy thanked Taha Aki that no one had been seriously injured.

But Billy was having a bit of a problem of his own. He sat with his lawyer, a good friend of his, in his living room. Thank Taha Aki they were friends; that meant Billy didn't have to pay. Not that he didn't have the money, though.

"So he's suing you because of what happened to his daughter's home?"

Billy nodded. "He seems to think that because I told the girls to take their problems up with the culprits, I am responsible for the fire. I admit that I made the wrong decision in telling them what I did, but I absolutely did not tell them to set homes on fire!"

Billy's friend, Thomas, nodded his head. "I understand, Billy. Detective Wind should know better than this. There's no way he can make a case out of it, especially if we bring up what his daughter has done. On top of that, you have no control over what these women do. And even more, it wasn't his house! He can't possibly file a case against you in her name. This will obviously come off as an attempt to take the attention off of his daughter. But nothing will. She's going to have to pay for what she did, no matter how much her father wants to direct the attention to somebody else."

Billy agreed wholeheartedly. This guy was grasping at straws.

Detective Wind wasn't a bad guy. Whenever Billy ran into him, he was as polite as ever. His only downfall was his daughter, Emily. Wind would go to bat for her, as should any parent for his child, but when would enough be enough for Wind? When would he finally let his daughter pay for her mistakes?

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Bella sat in the passenger seat of her car next to a beaming Jacob. She looked over at him and smiled.

She was happy that he was the one taking her home. She hadn't seen him as often while she was in the hospital because he was helping in the reconstruction of the destroyed property in La Push. She was proud of him and she did realize that he had to put in the most work, considering he was to be the future chief. So she spent the majority of the time with Paul and her parents. She wasn't complaining, but she had missed her best friend.

He smiled at her. "What ya smilin' about, cutie?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, really. I'm just glad to be going home."

Jacob's smile got wider. "I'm so glad you're going home, too. I've missed you so much." He took one of his hands off the wheel and grabbed one of hers. He brought it up to his mouth and kissed it softly. She blushed. She still wasn't sure if she was used to this new relationship she had with Jacob, but she definitely liked the attention.

"So, do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow night?"

She nodded. "We need to talk anyway. I don't know what's up with all of this special attention you've been giving me."

Jacob smiled. "I told you before. Just making my feelings known."

Bella smiled and shook her head as Jacob pulled up to a familiar looking place. "Uhhh, I thought we were-"

Before Bella could finish her sentence, Jacob was out of the car and opening the passenger side door. "Come on, honey, let's go."

She allowed him to help her out. "I thought you were taking me home."

"I am." He pulled her towards the house and before she could say anything, he opened the door.

In the distance, Bella could hear shouts of "Surprise!" and "Welcome home!" but at the forefront, she heard and saw something completely different.

Her whole world tilted off of its axis. It was like she was back there, that night a few weeks ago.

She could remember going there, late at night to sit and think about her situation in La Push.

She could hear the loud bang that the door made as it swung open.

She could see the four girls with the tan skin and teasing faces.

She could hear her heart beating ferociously in her chest when she realized she couldn't leave.

She could hear her dad telling her not to return to that place alone.

Bella grabbed her head. A part of her could hear people calling her name and asking her if she was okay. But for the moment, the only thing that registered successfully was the pain that came with each kick, punch, and slap. And then everything else came.

The blood.

The prayers.

The desperation.

The _surrender_.

Bella's head hurt badly as she realized where she was. This was the house she bought, the house she was supposed to make into a home before it got destroyed by the manifestation of discrimination. It was the home she was going to live in before she got violated in one of the worst ways possible.

Bella looked up when she felt someone placing a cold bottle in her hand. She looked at Quil, and although she didn't remember him rescuing her from the trunk of Emily's car like Paul told her he did, when she looked at his face she was just reminded of the trauma that got her where she was at that point.

So she ran.

She ran until she was too dizzy to continue.

She ran until she collapsed on the forest ground, crying, gripping her head and sides simultaneously until she felt a pair of warm arms cradle her.

Emily was confused as she sat in the visitation room in the prison. Besides her parents, she wasn't sure who would come to see her. She hoped it wasn't her father to come chew her out again.

Emily understood why her father was upset. It wasn't like she thought beating up some girl was a _good_ thing…though it certainly did feel good, at the time.

She was just so **angry**. She was angry that after Sam, she was being passed up again for another girl. It was one thing with Leah – at least Leah was a native – but Ballerina? That bitch wasn't even Quileute. Emily was _fuming_.

Why wasn't she good enough? What was so awful about her that she had been passed up by some half nigger, half pale-faced bitch? Emily just didn't understand.

As she tried to answer the question of the day, an officer opened the door and a woman walked in. Emily didn't recognize her, but noticed that she looked exactly like Bella.

_Shit._

Emily mentally rolled her eyes. This wasn't going to be good.

The woman sat across from her and cleared her throat.

"By the look on your face, I'm guessing you've figured out who I am."

Emily bit her lip and gave a small nod. She tried her hardest to keep a stoic face.

"Now, I'm not going to yell at you. To be honest, I'd really just like to reach over this table—with how tiny it is, it would be remarkably easy—and snatch those beautiful, long locks out of your scalp. I'd also like to pummel the shit out of that pretty—and I use that term loosely—little face of yours like you did my daughter. But I think I'll leave that up to the women who are going to make you their bitch soon enough."

Emily swallowed thickly.

"Since we're on limited time, I am going to talk and you are going to listen. You will not speak unless I ask you to. Got it?"

Emily nodded.

Renee smirked. "That was easier than I thought it would be. Hmm, put a little fear into you and you shrink back, do you? I thought it would take a little more than a couple of words to scare off someone bold enough to beat up an innocent girl. But I guess since you don't have your minions with you all of a sudden we see the real you. The pathetic, scared little girl you really are."

Renee shook her head and laughed. "I've had to deal with girls like you before. You're so strong and brave whenever your friends are around but as soon as you're alone all of your bravado falls to dust. You know what that makes you, Emily? It makes you a _punk_. It makes you pathetic. It makes you _weak_. Do you know who the strong one in this situation is? My daughter. Because despite all of the crap you and your immature little friends threw at her, she's still strong. She's still _alive_, just in case you were wondering. When I think about you leaving my child in that car **beaten**, _bruised_, battered, and bleeding to death, it makes me want to pummel you into the ground even more. But then I think about all of the…_love_ you'll be receiving in jail and I feel a little better inside."

Renee leaned closer. "Even so, I still want to beat the everlasting **shit** out of you."

Renee smirked as Emily visibly swallowed. She took so much pleasure in seeing the fear in Emily's eyes. It was almost tangible. She wondered if Emily had seen the fear in Bella's eyes that night. She wondered if Emily could feel it. Renee could feel it. She could feel it every time she looked at her daughter. It sickened her. And that's why she was there. It reminded her of herself and what she had wished she told her abusers all those years ago.

"And while you're sitting here in a jail cell, being beaten and abused by bigger, tougher, and much stronger women, my daughter will be out there living her life. She'll be living it with Paul, if she so chooses."

Emily's face began to redden and Renee couldn't stop smiling. She knew she was getting a rise out of Emily and she _thrived_ from it. "You haven't stopped her. You and your jealous little sidekicks have only succeeded in making her stronger and pushing her and Paul closer together. So while you're in here being fucked by prison mothers, Bella is going to be getting soothed…"

Emily's eyes darkened.

"…caressed…"

Emily began to shake.

"…kissed…"

Emily grabbed the table.

"…and loved up on by Paul, the same guy you did all of this for, the same guy who couldn't give a flying _fuck_ about you!"

At those words, Emily stood up and with a scream full of rage and pain, she slammed her hands down onto the table. Before she could do anything else, the officer rushed back into the room and grabbed a shaking and distraught Emily, signaling the end of the one-sided conversation.

Renee smiled.

* * *

He cooed and stroked her hair. "Shhh, it's okay."

Bella's eyes shot open as she heard his voice. It wasn't the one that she expected.

"Quil?"

"Yeah Bells, it's me," he whispered gently.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but why isn't it Jake out here? I'm surprised he let you come after me. And I'm sure if Paul weren't on patrol right now he'd be growling at you."

Quil chuckled. "Would you like me to get Paul or Jake?"

She shook her head. "It's refreshing."

Quil smirked. "Yeah, I know you prefer me to them. We'll keep it our little secret…for now."

Bella smiled as Quil continued to stroke her hair. She couldn't believe how comfortable he was making her feel.

"You wanna talk about it?"

It took Bella a while to answer that question. She wasn't sure if she wanted to talk to anyone about it. She didn't think anyone, besides her mother, would know how she felt.

Growing up, Bella just knew what happened to her mother would never happen to her. She knew that because she knew she would never let it happen. Of course, that was wrong, but Bella figured that if she were ever faced with the situation, she wouldn't do what her mother did. She wouldn't run.

She had so much to stay for. She had Charlie. She had Jacob and their friends. And even now, surprisingly, she had Paul.

But what she never really considered was how she would _feel_.

How everywhere she went in La Push would remind her of what happened to her. How every time she looked at a pretty, tan face she felt a twinge of pain, anger, and disgust. How every time she was in La Push she had to look over her shoulder, in fear of someone ambushing her. How she couldn't enjoy herself with her friends because there was always, _always_ someone watching – someone who didn't approve, someone who was disgusted, someone who wished her ill will. How every time she looked at one of her friends, she second-guessed them.

Did they really care about her? Did she disgust them, too? Was it pity? Was she just a little play thing to them? Did they agree with the others? Did they think she had no place in La Push?

Bella knew that some of these questions were ridiculous. Her friends loved her; there was no way they agreed with the others. But what happened to her had been so detrimental, not only to her body but to her mind, to her soul. It spread through her like wildfire and it affected everything about her; it left no place untouched. She wasn't the same and she was never going to be the same. She wasn't quite sure who she could trust anymore.

Now she understood why her mother left.

Dear God, how could she stay in that house that was meant to be her home? How could she walk in there and not remember what she saw, what happened to her, how she felt, what they did? How was she supposed to live there?

"Bells?" Quil asked tentatively.

"I've gotta get out of here."

"Alright then, let's go to the cliffs."

"No, Quil. I mean _here_, La Push. I've gotta get out of here."

* * *

**A huge thank you to those of you who nominated Trading Season in the JBnP Awards. I'm very honored. :)**

**Thanks for the reviews, etc. Happy 4****th**** of July to all of my fellow Americans. Be safe! Especially with those fireworks…**


	17. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"It was hell seeing you like that, Bella."

Their feet hung off of the cliffs as they lied back and looked up at the weirdly clear skies. Bella's vision was blurry as Quil recounted his tale of finding Bella in Emily's trunk. Paul had told her already that Quil was the one who found her and took her to the hospital. But it was different hearing it from Quil. Somehow, it was more real.

"I can still remember how you smelled, how you looked. Damn it Bella, I don't think that image will ever leave my mind. I've never been so scared in my life." He shook his head and then turned it towards Bella. She looked at him.

"As I was running to the hospital with you in my arms, all I could ask Taha Aki was how. How could he let this happen? How could he let them do that to you?"

Bella shrugged indifferently. "Maybe Taha Aki agrees with them."

Quil shook his head furiously and shot up to a sitting position. "No, Bella. Don't you compare Taha Aki to them. He was strong. He was a warrior. He stood up for our people and no matter what, I have confidence in the fact that he would never want something like this to happen to anybody. This is not what he fought for. He didn't fight for our people so that they'd turn around and cause harm to others. Never."

Quil looked out over the ocean. There was a long moment of silence before Bella sat up and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Quil. You're right. I shouldn't have said that."

After a moment, Quil looked at her with a splitting grin on his face. "Ah, I know girl. You're just upset." His smile slowly decreased. "I don't blame you." His face took on a hard mask as he turned back to the water. The calm waves didn't reflect the emotions that both adults were battling as they stared out ahead.

"I just wish I had gotten there earlier," Quil continued. "Maybe you wouldn't have been in the hospital for so long."

Bella looked at him. "You know, I haven't thanked you for getting there when you did," she said softly. "If you hadn't gotten there when you did I'd be dead. So don't worry about how long it took you or how long I had to stay in the hospital. I'd rather be in the hospital for a month than be dead. So, thank you, Quil."

Quil looked at Bella. He was so overwhelmed by the emotions and feelings of gratitude that were coming off of Bella in waves. He was really proud of himself for saving someone he loved. He had finally done something worthwhile, besides kill vampires.

"Well, you know, it's my job," he said shakily as he looked away. Bella knew what he was trying to do. She didn't want to embarrass him so she shifted her blurry gaze to the water. She chuckled a little and nudged his shoulder.

"Yeah, I know."

They were quiet for a while before Quil spoke again. "You know, Paul, Jake, Renee, and Charlie were there every step of the way."

Bella nodded. "I know. I'm very grateful for that."

"They love you. We all do."

Bella saw where this was going. She sighed dramatically and lied back down on the cliff. Quil lied next to her.

"You can't escape this, Bells. Well, maybe physically but mentally and emotionally, you're just going to torture yourself. Your mind will be back here no matter where you go. You could go to fucking Antarctica if you wanted to but your mind, your feelings, your heart will all be back here. You and I both know it."

"Yeah but maybe I won't get my ass beaten in Antarctica."

"Shit like this happens everywhere, Bells. Everywhere."

Bella knew he was right. She knew it and so did her mother. But that didn't stop Bella from wanting to escape, even if just for a little while. She couldn't bear to face the people in La Push after this. She knew a lot of them were nice but she also knew a lot of them were prejudiced, too. Would she forever be the nigger, pale-face girl who almost got killed because of her involvement with one of their own men? Would the town be on the girls' side? Bella always had so many questions swarming in her head. She couldn't live like this. She might not have been the best person in the world but she didn't deserve to not feel safe in her surroundings. She didn't deserve to have to wonder when someone would call her a racial slur or vandalize her property. She didn't deserve to constantly feel like she needed to prepare for the possibility of being attacked. She wasn't sure if any amount of love in the world was enough to keep her in Forks or La Push. It hadn't been enough to protect her once. Why would it be enough to protect her in the future?

Quil knew that her silence was a contemplative one. He just hoped that she would take his words into account. He sighed and looked over at her. "Look, B, no matter what you decide, we'll always love you and your home will always be with us in La Push. But we'd love you even more if you stayed."

Bella laughed lightly and slid down a little. She rested her head on his shoulder. They both looked up at the clear, blue sky.

* * *

Renee was proud of herself.

She gave it to that bitch _good_.

She laughed. She wished she could have said all of that to her own attackers years ago. It would have been in vain though, because she allowed what they did to control her for many years. She allowed them to kick her out of her life in Forks. She didn't realize it at the time, but every time she looked over her shoulder or insisted on following a fifteen-year-old Bella to school, she was allowing them to control her. It was only now that she felt free. She felt free walking the streets of Forks because unlike her own attackers, Bella's would be brought to justice. Forks and La Push were different places way back when Renee was around – though, obviously, some people had the same values – so her case was downplayed greatly and the girls who beat her up were acquitted on all charges. But Renee was confident that Bella would get the justice her mother never did. If not for the massive evidence, for the fact that Bella's father was the police chief. The crime was committed on Forks soil and the people of that town loved Charlie and Bella. No way would the jury be dumb enough to overlook the evidence and let the monsters who tried to kill the police chief's daughter go free. Even if that was the _only_ reason they got put away, Renee would be relieved. Disgusted, but relieved. She wasn't naive. She knew that certain people got treated more horribly and overlooked more than others in this world and unfortunately, her people were included in that group. She was just glad that her child's father was the police chief, if it was her only saving grace.

Renee unlocked the door with the key Charlie gave her and walked in. She was surprised to smell dinner wafting from the kitchen. She knew Charlie was inept at cooking. If he had her daughter cooking the first day she came home…

"Hey, Renee." A sheepish Charlie walked out of the kitchen. "Uh, Sue brought over some dinner earlier. She knew Bella wouldn't be up to cooking and she thought she'd save you the trouble, so…" He scratched the back of his head. He was so nervous. Renee tried hard not to laugh.

"Wow, that's great. I'm starved."

Renee walked to the kitchen, washed her hands, and took a seat. Charlie readied two plates for them.

"So, is Bella still with her friends?"

"As far as I know, yeah. I know we don't have to worry about her; they won't let anything happen to her," Charlie mentioned as he wolfed down Sue's chicken. Renee laughed a little. She liked to see Charlie eating so well. She knew he had to have been starving from all of the times he deprived himself of food in order to look over Bella or work on her case at the station. But at the same time, she didn't want them to have to talk like _that_ all the time.

_They won't let anything happen to her._

_Oh, she's safe there._

_Are any of her friends going to be with her? She shouldn't go by herself._

No, no, no. Those were things they should have been thinking about when she was younger, not twenty-three-years-old. This wasn't right.

"You okay?"

Renee looked up. "What?"

"Are you okay? Is the food okay? I'm sure there's something else in the fridge if you don't want that."

Renee looked down at her food. She didn't realize she had been playing with it this whole time.

"Oh, no, Charlie, the food is great. I was just thinking," she said as she began to eat.

"Want to talk about it?"

Renee shook her head. "No, it's okay." She knew that no matter what she thought about it, that was how she and Charlie were going to feel for a while – they'd constantly wonder if Bella was going to be safe wherever she was. It was unfortunate, but that's what parenthood was, especially when their child was at risk.

"So…are you going to be heading back to New York, soon?" Charlie wanted to bring it up subtly. He was really bad at that.

He had enjoyed having Renee back in what used to be their home. It wasn't under the best circumstances but he had missed her every day. Every day. And he would take her however he could. The only downside of Bella being back home was that Renee would go back to _her_ home soon. And unfortunately, that home was away from Bella and Charlie.

Renee shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure. I don't think I'm ready to leave yet. I need to spend more time with my daughter. Of course, if I'm going to stay here longer I'll move to a hotel…"

Charlie dropped his fork. He quickly picked it back up and cleared his throat. "Don't be silly, Renee. This is your home…as long as you need it to be. You can continue to stay in the guest room," Charlie murmured, though he really wanted her to stay in his room. "Bella will be thrilled." He stopped for a second. "And I like the company, too."

Renee found it difficult not to smile.

* * *

"Damn, I can't trust you guys with her for a minute, can I?"

Jake rolled his eyes at Paul as he took down the "Welcome Home" sign. "Oh please, Paul. This was just as much your idea as it was everyone else's. We should have considered what it would do to her to be here again, especially so soon after what happened."

Leah sat on one of the couches the council purchased for Bella's home. "None of us thought about it. Hopefully Quil is calming her down right now."

Paul paced back and forth. "I still say I should go out there and check on them. You mean to tell me it's been a fucking hour since they've run off? We don't know what that idiot is doing to her."

"Hey!" Claire exclaimed as she shot a deadly glare at Paul. "He's not an idiot. And if they've been gone for so long it's clear he's doing something right and she doesn't need you right now."

Paul growled at Claire who stared right back at him defiantly. "Alright, alright," Sam said as he lazily stroked Leah's hair. "She's right, Paul. I'm sure Quil is taking care of her so calm down."

Just as Sam said that, the wolves heard Quil approaching. Paul had the door open before Quil even reached it. "Where is she?" Paul growled out as he looked over Quil's head. Bella's car was still there but she wasn't with Quil. He didn't see her. He didn't smell her. Where the fuck was she?

Quil pushed past Paul and stood next to Jake. "I carried her back to the chief's place. She wants me to drive her car back there." He held his hand out to Jake for the keys.

"I'll do it," both Paul and Jake volunteered as they shot daggers at Quil. He rolled his eyes. "She told me she wanted _me_ to do it. She told me to tell you," he said as he looked at Jake, "that she'll see you tomorrow."

"See him tomorrow? For what?" Paul asked as he looked at Jake. Jake tried to hide his smirk. "We're having dinner, Paul. No big deal."

The atmosphere in the living room changed quickly. Paul felt the tell-tale heat traveling up his spine. Everyone besides Jake, Quil, and Paul thought, "Oh man, not this again." Quil was the only one who said it out loud.

"Oh man, not _this_ again." Paul and Jake quickly looked over at him and growled. "Look, can you guys keep in mind before you start fighting that Bella is going through hell right now? This shit is not about you. It's not about either of you. The last thing that Bella needs is you idiots fighting over her all over again. Now get your heads out of your fucking asses and act like some damn men and not two-year-olds fighting over a toy! She'll have dinner with you tomorrow, Jake. If that's a problem for you Paul, just have dinner with her the next fucking day. NO BIG DEAL. Now give me the fucking keys, Jake." Quil held out his hand as a wide eyed Jake handed the keys over with no further comments…or inhuman noises. If Quil took the time to notice, he'd realize that everyone in the room was wide eyed, except for his Claire. He gestured to her to follow him and a smiling Claire grabbed his hand as they walked out to Bella's car.

Quil was pissed. What his idiot brothers didn't realize was that their fighting over Bella could be the last factor in pushing her to move away, for good.

* * *

A freshly showered and fed Bella lied on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her parents had fussed over her and Bella would have been annoyed if she didn't realize that they had to do it to make themselves feel better. They needed to, for themselves, confirm that she was okay. She also realized when she got home that there was a certain calm and peace to the house. She didn't know if it was because she was home where they knew she would be safe, or because her mom was there, or if it was because her parents came to some type of understanding. She just knew she liked it and she was happy to be home.

Bella had a lot to think about. She gave a lot of thought to what Quil said to her. She knew that they all loved her and she was foolish to think that they didn't. The incident coupled with her inferiority complex meant disastrous thoughts would be flying around in her head. She couldn't help it.

And she couldn't help that she wanted to go back to New York. She had missed it. At this point, she felt like she'd rather be anywhere than Forks or La Push.

Bella tried to figure out the pros and cons of leaving and staying. If she left, a pro would be that she would get to feel safe again. Another pro would be that she could possibly be with her mother in New York. She had missed her mother, dearly. Another pro would be…well, a con of leaving would be that she'd miss her father. She'd miss Charlie so much. They had gotten close over the years and she didn't want him to feel guilty about what happened. She didn't want to leave him by himself, either. If she left, both things would happen. Another con would be that she'd be leaving her friends behind. Of course, she would come back because she was the maid of honor at Leah's wedding but would that be it? Would she just come back for some holidays and important events? She wasn't sure she'd ever find friends like them, anywhere. They were irreplaceable. They were everything.

Another con would be leaving Jake and Paul. They were being idiots, constantly fighting over her (that would be a pro to leaving…a con as well, because…really, how hot was that?), but she cared about them both, anyway. They meant a lot to her and she wasn't sure if things would ever be _good_ with them if she left. They would understand her need to leave but they would both feel abandoned. She didn't want them to feel like she abandoned them, or didn't care about their feelings. But another pro would probably be that their relationship would bounce back after having the same girl leave them. Brothers again? _Another _pro of her departure would be that she wouldn't have to hurt one of them while parading around with the other.

But what would be the cons of her staying? What she just mentioned would be a con. Also, the fact that she would be discriminated against on a daily basis was a huge con. What if she was beaten up again? What if nothing changed and people still looked at her like she was yesterday's trash? What if the town was on the girls' side and treated her even _worse_? She couldn't deal with that and it was a very real possibility. The majority of her friends were in La Push but she wouldn't visit them if that was her reality in that community. And she wouldn't force them to come visit her either. She'd probably never leave the house. That didn't sound like something she would like.

Then there was Quil. He had a huge part of this. When Quil and Bella lied on the cliffs and looked up at the sky that afternoon, Bella realized something. She wasn't sure if Quil had realized it but she did. From that day forward, she and Quil would always have an unbreakable bond. They had always been friends but things were different now. Quil would always be the man who saved her life. How could she up and leave after that? After a horrified Quil carried her to the hospital and blamed himself for not getting there sooner? Would leaving just be a slap to his face?

A pro of her staying would be that she'd get to be with Charlie. Another one would be that she'd get to be with her friends, even if she had to avoid La Push and make them come to Forks. She loved them, so she'd do it. No she wouldn't. Wait, yes…she would. _God! Taha Aki!_

Bella looked to her side as her cell phone rang. The display showed Paul's name. She let it ring. The last thing she needed to do was talk to Paul. She knew he'd sway her, whether or not he realized it.

Of course, if she stayed, she'd get constant access to both Jake and Paul. They were like her lifelines through this and she didn't want to have them take care of her, just for her to up and leave them like Renee did to Charlie. Bella understood it but didn't like it. _If she didn't like it so much, why did she want to leave so badly?_

* * *

The next day, Jacob set up the Chinese food he ordered in a few dozen bowls. He hoped Bella was okay to eat this stuff right now. He fixed up some salad too, just in case.

For the first time in a while, he was nervous. He didn't want to come on too strong, especially when Bella had just come out of the hospital. But damn it, he missed his best friend.

And no doubt, there was just something so damn tantalizing about Bella. He loved being around her. Even when she was in the hospital and she was being a complete asshole, he knew that he wanted her.

Jake wasn't sure what he would do if Bella chose Paul over him. He knew it would hurt like hell but before anything, she was his best friend. He'd _have_ to be okay with her decision, even if it was wrong…right?

As Jake contemplated, he heard Bella's car drive up. He insisted on picking her up but she insisted, quite angrily, that she "wasn't a child" and "didn't need his chauvinistic ass" to pick her up in his "dusty old bunny." He hopped up and opened the door before she even closed her car door.

He smiled brightly. "So glad you made it safely, sweetheart." She rolled her eyes and pouted. "Yeah, yeah." She sniffed the air before he moved back to allow her in. "I know Chinese food when I smell it. You're so good to me. I'm so happy to not have to eat that food they dust off in the hospital anymore."

Jacob laughed and locked the door. "Wait, what about when I snuck you fries?"

"Didn't I say you were good to me? But you couldn't sneak me fries all the time so I had to eat their food sometimes." She sat on the floor in front of the television. "Mmm, let's eat."

An hour later, with full stomachs and uneaten salad, Bella and Jacob leaned back on his couch.

"Ughhh," Bella mentioned as she rubbed her stomach. "You overfed me."

Jake laughed. "I told you to slow down. But if I recall correctly, you said, 'I'm not a child, Jake. I don't need your chauvinistic ass to control my portions,' and then continued eating."

Bella snickered. "Mmmkay. I'll give you that one."

Jacob smiled. "I missed this, so much. I've missed you."

Bella smiled back at him. "Yeah, I know."

Jacob was so close that Bella knew what was coming but wasn't sure if she should stop it or not. Right before his lips touched hers, she realized that it probably didn't matter anymore.

Jake gently sucked Bella's bottom lip into his mouth. His hand softly stroked her face as his tongue parted her lips. She allowed his tongue to explore her mouth as she held on tightly to his shoulders. He started to suck on her tongue and she knew she had to stop him then, before it got too far. With one more lingering kiss, she pushed him back gently. She wiped her lips as Jake smiled at her.

"Jake, I have to tell you something."

His hand still held her cheek. "What is it?"

Bella looked down and took a deep breath. She knew this was going to be difficult to say but she had decided before she left that she was going to be completely blunt and honest with him.

"I'm leaving, Jake."

* * *

**Yeah, yeah, yeah, no Paul/Bella action this chapter. And a Jake/Bella kiss for all my Jake people. Don't shoot, Paul people. And don't worry, Lahote-revenge next time.**

**Thoughts…yes…maybe…no? Okay. Lol.**

**Thanks for the reviews, etc. :)  
**


	18. Chapter 16

**Wow, I bet you guys are thinking, "Whoa, this chapter is super short!" Lol my apologies but there is a…how do you say…**_**colorful**_** scene? You guys are so wonderful to me and I don't want to get the story deleted so I had to avoid posting the sexual scene here. I only posted the parts that are slightly less inappropriate. If you'd like to read the chapter + smut (which is the majority of the chapter, unfortunately…or fortunately) it is on Jacob Black n Pack. The link is on my profile. Sorry that it has to be this way but I don't want the story to be removed. Also, after all of the angst I thought it would be nice to have one chapter where it can be avoided, for the most part, so the majority of it has to do with that. If you choose to go to JBnP, don't forget to review, please! :) Thanks so much for being wonderful readers, either way.**

**Chapter 16**

Paul was _pissed_.

He had been since the previous night when he went out to patrol. He and Sam had taken over for Jake and Jared when Paul got a front row seat to some memories in Jake's mind. First, he was angry that Jake had his chapped lips all over Bella's mouth. But then he was even angrier when he heard Bella's words.

"_I'm leaving, Jake."_

What the fuck was that about?

It took an order from Sam for Paul to calm down. Eventually, Sam got tired of Paul's murderous thoughts so he let him off of patrol.

Paul couldn't help it. He was fuming. Not only was she leaving, but she told JAKE before she told him? Get the fuck out of here. He was so tired of her fucking around with his feelings. He had been too nice. Now, he was going to show her what happened when she fucked around with Paul Lahote.

So, when she called him last night and asked him if they could meet the next day, he agreed. She requested to meet him at his place – he scoffed when he realized it was probably so that she could make an easy escape. Well, no such luck, Swan. She was going to be leaving over his dead body.

So at 12 p.m. Paul sat on his couch, bare-chested, bare-footed, and sweats-clad, waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. _And she was his girlfriend, whether she knew it or not. Therefore, she would have to be punished for the sins she committed the previous night._

When he heard her car pull up, he didn't get up. He didn't get up until she rang the doorbell.

He opened the door to see her slightly smiling up at him. _Just look at her. _Petite, innocent little Bella. His wolf purred. He was so happy to see her up on her feet after that long month. But then he remembered what she had done the night before and his wolf scratched at the surface. He wanted to show her who was boss, who she belonged to, and who she needed to submit to.

He watched her as she walked in. Her ass and hips swayed and his wolf jumped up and down, growled, panted, and salivated.

_Wait, not yet. But soon._

She peered up at him innocently and he fought a growl. _Taha Aki, she was so fine._

"So, I have to talk to you-"

"Shut up."

She stopped and scrunched up her face in confusion. "Uh…"

"I said, _shut up_, Bella."

Bella's eyes widened for a second before narrowing. What was his problem?

"I know exactly what the fuck you want to talk to me about. Did you think I wouldn't find out? Huh?" He chuckled darkly as he walked closer to where she sat on the couch. She tried to shrink back into her seat as he approached her. The look in his dark eyes made her heart race in fear. Heat claimed her body, not just because his body heat was coming closer. She was scared.

"You must think you can fool me, don't you?" Paul asked as his slowly face approached hers. As he began to come closer, Bella's fear dissipated. She thought he was going to kiss her but instead, he traced his nose along her chin. "Hmmm? Did you think you could fool me, Bella?" His warmth made its way up to her ear. His teeth lightly bit her earlobe. "Hmmm?" Bella's breathing began to quicken. When she didn't answer, he bit her lobe harshly enough to leave a mark. She yelped as he exclaimed, "Answer me!"

She had never seen this side of Paul before. She was a little worried but would it be completely twisted if she were also a little turned on?

"No, no, no, I didn't," she stammered. She tried to placate him and push him off by grabbing his shoulders. He chuckled and lapped at her earlobe, sucking it into his mouth, seemingly in apology. Shivers ran up and down her spine.

His head moved from her ear to her neck. He inhaled deeply and growled before nibbling teasingly on her skin. "You think you can just," he muttered as he kissed her neck, "kiss Jake and get away with it? Hmm?"

Bella panted as she answered. "No." She leaned into his mouth as he opened it and sucked on her skin. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He leaned back a little and slid his tongue from the base of her neck to the bottom of her jaw. He whispered, "And you think you can just leave, Bella? Hmmm?" She opened her eyes and looked down at him. His eyes were dark as he panted on her neck. His breathing was almost as erratic as hers, and if it weren't for that and the seductive darkening of his eyes, Bella wouldn't have known how turned on he was. He moved his face up so that they were nose to nose. "You think you could just leave me? Hmm?" He turned his head sideways as she licked her lips. He licked his in return. "You think I would just…_let you_…?"

Bella bit her lip and widened her legs. If Bella had been in her right mind, she would have bristled at the territorial and controlling tone he took with her. _But she wasn't._

His hot hands slid up and down her thighs as he watched her bite her lip. He leaned in, took that same lip in between his teeth and pulled it until it made a little flapping noise in release. "Get up," he whispered as he suddenly stood up to his full height. He towered over Bella, who seemed to be shocked still. He pulled her up by her shirt. "Let's go," he ordered as he picked her up bridal style. Once second she was in the living room, the next, her world was spinning and she was standing in front of a closed door.

Paul bent down to her level. Way down. "So you want to leave me, Bella?"

"Paul, I -"

"**Shut up**." She gulped. "You can tell me why, after you see this."

He turned her around and opened the door. As soon as they walked in, certain images crossed Bella's mind.

She saw him teaching her painting techniques. She saw them painting on blank canvases. She saw them painting each other – breasts, thighs, arms, faces. She saw red, green, blue, white, brown all over him, all over herself.

She felt his fingers sliding in and out of her, caressing her clit, teasing her breasts. She felt him underneath her, rocking, panting on her back, throbbing against her core. She felt herself climaxing, moaning, breathing heavily, reveling in the best sexual experience she had ever had (especially since it was with another person that time).

She was puffing with the strength of her memories. She didn't feel it when Paul moved her hair out of the way but she felt it when a liquid slid down her back. She jumped as Paul poured a bottle of paint down the front and back of her shirt. "You can't tell me you don't fucking remember that. Me pouring paint all over you. You pouring it all over me." He dropped the bottle and jerked her head to the side, quickly licking up the length of her neck. "You fucking loved it," he whispered in her ear as she leaned back into him. She couldn't seem to control her breathing anymore. Her legs shook.

* * *

Bella was sore.

She was so sore and she was hot. _Really hot._

Her head was resting on her arm. Her eyes opened. It took her a minute before she realized where she was but once she did, she felt a rush of wetness coat her sore walls. She hoped that Paul wouldn't wake up and take advantage.

Speaking of, that was why she was so hot. The majority of Paul's body was sprawled across her own. When she tried to slip out from underneath him, she realized that she couldn't move her left hand. She tried again and figured that something was around it. _Fuck_, she was afraid to look.

When she slowly moved her eyes down to her hand, she fumed.

_Fuck._

_Handcuffs? Really, Paul? How fucking original!_

And it wasn't like she was cuffed to the bed or anything; she was cuffed to him! His right hand, to be specific. Now that she thought about it, he was sprawled across her rather awkwardly.

He smiled against her shoulder. She felt it.

"Get the hell up, Paul."

He smirked. "You're mine, Bella. You said so yourself."

"We were in the middle of sex, Paul. I would have said anything!"

Bella felt the air in the room change. She immediately regretted what she said but she was angry. Paul raised his head so that he could look straight into her eyes. She wanted to shrink back into the bed.

"Don't fucking play with me, Bella."

"I'm not trying to play with you, Paul."

The two stared at each other for a long moment without saying anything. There was so much tension in the air around them. Paul was angry. He wanted to know that he had done enough to convince her to stay. When he looked at her, he knew she saw his anger but he also hoped she saw his desperation. His desperation for her to stay. Not just right there in his bed, but in his life. It was difficult for him to come to terms with it but he knew that he needed her around.

Bella also looked at Paul with desperation. But it was a different kind of desperation. It was desperation for his understanding. Desperation for his forgiveness.

Paul lied back on the bed. Bella lied by his side. They both looked at the ceiling.

Paul scooted a little closer to Bella and rested his head on top of hers. He intertwined the fingers of their linked hands.

He lifted their hands and reveled at the contrast between his tan skin and her slightly darker skin. He loved it. He hoped he could keep it.


	19. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"Are these real?"

He nodded.

"How'd you manage to get your hands on real handcuffs?"

Paul laughed. "That is for me to know and for you to wonder."

Bella smiled and held her small, dark palm up to his very large, tan one. It made no sense but for some reason she felt that they fit perfectly.

Paul rolled over and sat his head on his right hand, automatically leading Bella's left hand to hold it as well. She rolled her eyes as he looked down at her.

"So…how was your first time?" Paul had a feeling she enjoyed herself…a lot. But he wanted to hear her admit it.

She smiled shyly and turned away, as much as she could while handcuffed to him. He laughed. "Nooo, come back here." He grabbed her blushing face and made her look at him as she whispered, "It was…good…"

He guffawed. "Only good?" he asked as he quickly squeezed her right breast. She slapped his hand away. "Maybe a little bit more…"

"Oh yeah?" He kissed her neck. "Want to do it cowgirl this time?"

Bella chuckled. "This time?"

"Oh yeah," he said as he kissed his way to her lips. "We don't have to do it cowgirl if you're too sore right now. I'll take it slow," he whispered against her lips. "But later…or tomorrow…I'm going to lay back right on this bed while you ride my cock until you squirt all over it…'til your juices are running down that…condom. That reminds me, you really need to invest in birth control, babe." Before she could respond, his tongue slipped into her mouth and for a few moments, she forgot what she wanted to say.

She moaned into his mouth as their tongues slid against each other. He slowly lined his body up on top of hers and when she felt him lift their clasped hands, she remembered.

She pulled away. "Paul."

"Yeah?" he asked as his lips made their way to her ear.

"We need to talk."

"We can talk about getting you birth control later," he said as the hair above his penis rubbed up against her clit. She moaned and spread her legs. "_Paul._"

He lifted his head and sniffed the room. "Mmm, _Bella_."

She laughed as he bent his head to kiss her again. "No Paul, I'm serious. We need to talk." She said it seriously as she looked up at him. He saw the look in her eyes and sighed. He lied down next to her. She looked at their linked hands.

"You didn't have to do this."

"I did," he said as he stared at the ceiling. "It's like you won't get it unless I do something drastic, like this," Paul said while raising their hands.

"Get what?"

He rolled his eyes and turned over so that he could look at her. "I don't want you to leave, Bella."

"That's all you had to say."

He sighed and lied back down. "You know I'm not good with words."

This time, she turned over and sat up so that she could look at him. She took her free hand and rubbed his cheek. "Paul, my decision has nothing to do with you."

He looked at her and knew exactly what she was talking about. His face reddened and he sat up quickly.

"So you're still going to leave?"

"I'm not saying that, it's just – "

"Then what the hell are you saying, Bella?" Paul was fuming. All of a sudden, Bella didn't feel so comfortable being handcuffed to him.

"Paul, calm down."

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down, Bella!" Paul couldn't believe what was happening. He felt used. It wasn't exactly difficult to have sex with Bella, but he just couldn't believe that he had given himself to her—and vice versa—just for her to decide that she was still going to leave. He felt betrayed.

"You mean after all of that, you're still not fucking sure about staying?"

Bella sighed and rubbed her forehead. She was really hoping that it wouldn't be this difficult to explain herself. She was hoping she _wouldn't_ have to explain herself.

"Paul, I'm not saying anything for sure. It's just that sex can't solve everything. It doesn't take away the pain I feel whenever I pass by what's supposed to be my home or whenever I cross the border between Forks and La Push. It doesn't take away the fact that I just don't feel comfortable here. Those girls, they..." Bella stopped to take a breath and think about the best way to explain how she really felt to Paul.

"It's like they took a part of me, Paul. They took a part of me with their harassment. They took the part of me that felt…at home in La Push. I just don't feel that way anymore. It may seem silly to you but I'm not like you, Paul. You don't know what it's like to walk around here constantly having to look over your shoulder wondering if you'll be attacked for being yourself. Well, maybe that's not exactly true considering what you guys are but you're all big and strong so you can defend yourselves but I can't. I can't, not when so many people are against me."

"But you have so many people on your side, too, Bella," Paul said as he grabbed her face. "And you're as strong as I am. Maybe not physically, but up here," he said as he tapped her forehead, "you are so much stronger than you think. So many people who have had to deal with what you did even before the beating would have packed up their shit and gone somewhere. But you stuck it out. Don't let this new development push you out of your _home_. Because this is your home, Bella. Right here in La Push. Right here with me."

Bella was astonished. Was Paul asking her to move in with him? She pulled his sheet higher up on her chest and looked away. Paul put his hand under her chin and turned her towards him.

"Don't run from this, Bella. Don't run from me. Stay here, with me."

Paul's eyes bore into hers and she wasn't quite sure how to react. On one side, she knew she cared about Paul—a lot—and the idea of finally belonging to someone who cared for her just as much was more than anything Bella could have ever hoped to have. But there was that little part of her, the inferior one that told her she didn't deserve it or it wouldn't last. It was also the part that told her that she needed to leave before she got hurt any more than she already was.

"Paul, don't you think it's a little too soon for that? We've only been seeing each other for a little over two months and I don't remember the majority of the last month."

"So?" he asked as he kissed her neck. "We've known each other for a long time."

"Hardly."

"And I was going to ask you to be my imprint anyway."

Bella's eyes popped open. _What?_

She moved away slightly. "Ummm…you were?"

Paul nodded. "Just because the imprint season is cancelled doesn't mean you can't still be mine. We can still do the ceremony and everything."

Bella's head was spinning. She didn't even know if she was going to stay in Forks and now Paul was asking her to be his imprint? She didn't know what to say so she stayed silent. Her heart didn't.

Paul heard Bella's heart pumping out of control. He put his hand over her chest. "Relax, baby. Breathe."

His hand was still on her chest as her breathing began to even out. "Tell me how you feel about it."

She shrugged. She didn't want to hurt Paul more than she already had but she had to be honest with him.

"I don't know, Paul. I need to think about it. I still don't know if I'm staying and here you are asking me to be your imprint."

Paul dropped his hand from her chest. "So you mean to tell me that after all of this, you're still questioning whether or not you're staying?" Paul was trying to understand but he was getting really impatient. He wasn't used to putting himself out there like this and he felt like she was throwing it back in his face with her ambivalence. Paul didn't love many people. But when Paul loved, he loved _hard_.

"It's not that simple."

"Yes it fucking is, Bella! I can protect you; what more do you need?"

Bella shook her head. "You just don't get it, Paul."

"No, _you_ don't get it, Bella. When you do, you know where to find me."

Before she knew it, Paul grabbed her hand and pulled it apart from his, breaking the link between the handcuffs.

Bella jumped when she heard his backdoor slam shut.

* * *

Bella lied on her back on her bed. She had only been out of the hospital for some days and her life seemed to already be spiraling out of control.

Jacob wasn't talking to her and she guessed Paul wasn't either. Bella found the key to the handcuffs in Paul's drawer but oddly she didn't feel like unlocking the one cuff yet.

She just couldn't wrap her mind around why Jake and Paul didn't understand her confusion. She knew they cared about her and wanted her to stay but didn't they see how difficult that would be for her?

As Bella played with the cuff around her wrist, she heard a knock on her door. "Bella? You there?"

"Yes, mom. Come in," Bella said as she quickly unlocked the cuff and put it on her bedside table.

Renee walked in and sat on her daughter's bed. "I thought you'd be spending the day with Paul."

"Yeah, that was a bust."

"Why?"

Bella sighed. She knew if anyone, her mother would understand her. "We had a fight. He thinks I should stay here, or more specifically, in La Push with him, but I disagree."

Renee nodded. She expected this. She knew this day was coming soon because that's exactly how it happened with her. As soon as she recovered enough, she packed hers and Bella's things and moved back to New York.

She signaled for Bella to move over on her bed so that she could lie next to her.

"So, you're going to leave?"

Bella nodded. "I think so."

Renee sighed. "I set the wrong example for you, sweetheart. Now if this is the only way that I can make it right, I'll have to do it."

Bella looked at her mother. "Do what?"

"Convince you to stay."

* * *

Jake threw his basketball toward the wall in his bedroom. The noise the ball made against the wall reminded him of the loud noise his backdoor made when he left Bella in his living room the night before.

Bella was one of the most important people in his life. He couldn't stand the thought of not being able to see her as often as he was used to. He loved her a lot and he wanted her around. He just didn't understand why she couldn't trust that he and the pack would take care of her. Maybe they failed once but there was no way they'd let her get in trouble again. She was a part of the pack's family which made her a priority.

On top of that, Jake couldn't imagine anyone else harming Bella. Maybe Emily and her friends were that disgusting but Jake didn't know anyone else in his small town that would be so hateful and abusive.

He just wished that Bella could see that. Of course he could understand why she'd be reluctant to but didn't she trust him? Hell, didn't she trust _Paul?_

Speaking of Paul, Jacob heard his back door open. Soon, he smelled Paul. _Great._

He threw the basketball toward Paul when he entered the room. "I guess she told you?"

Paul sat in Jake's chair. "Well I already got it from your memory. She tried to tell me, but then…" Paul trailed off. Right when he did, Jake noticed the smell in his room.

It was a mix between Bella, Paul, and…sex.

Jake hopped up from his bed. "You bastard! You slept with her?" Jake was livid. Not only did Paul take Bella's virginity but he did it when she was only a few days out of the hospital?

Paul stood up and held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Look, believe it or not, I did it for the both of us."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "_Not._"

Paul laughed. "Okay. Look, I just thought that if we had sex it would sway her decision."

"Did it?"

Paul sat back down and shrugged. He scratched his head. "Don't really know."

Jake sat down on his bed. "Guess it wasn't as good for her as you thought it would be, huh?" Jacob smirked. He knew if it were him she'd be begging him to let her stay in his house. She definitely wouldn't have to beg, though.

Paul growled. "She enjoyed herself, asshole. I don't know what happened. It was like one minute we were enjoying ourselves, then –"

Jacob rolled his eyes. Paul was his brother but Jake did not want to hear about his sexcapades, especially if they were with the girl of his dreams.

"Look, if you came here to rub it in my face get the fuck out, Paul."

Paul sighed and rolled his eyes. "No, I didn't. I came here because even though she's _my_ girlfriend, I know you love her too and don't want her to leave."

"You know she could still choose me, Paul," Jake murmured, hoping that that was still true.

Paul rolled his eyes. _In his fucking dreams. _"We need to get her to stay, first."

"We can't force her to stay, unfortunately. I don't know what it's going to take to convince her that she's wanted here. She knows that we all love her but that doesn't seem to be enough."

Jacob and Paul threw the basketball back and forth between each other while they thought. Jacob was angry that Paul had slept with Bella, but his desperation for her to stay was stronger than his anger. So if he had to work with Paul to get her to stay, he would.

* * *

"You know I used to wonder everyday what our lives would have been like if I had stayed."

Renee stroked Bella's hair as they continued their discussion.

"What did you imagine?" Bella asked.

It took Renee little time to reply. "I had a couple of different ideas. The good one was the one where you, your dad, and I lived together in this house. You grew up around your friends and family. Your dad and I stayed together. The girls who hurt me were exiled and you were safe. The bad one was that I lived the rest of my time out here in fear. We were constantly harassed by the prejudiced people from both Forks and La Push. And worst of all, you weren't safe. That idea was what always stood out and made me think that I made the right choice in leaving."

"But…"

"But when it came down to it Bella, it didn't really matter. Because whenever you got the chance you decided to keep visiting. And then you even decided to live here, knowing the risks that you faced. So it was like I moved us away for nothing. I moved you away from our family and friends for nothing. And when you decided to live here I realized that you were strong enough to make the decision I couldn't. You made the decision to put yourself at risk because your family and friends were worth it. What makes them less worthy now?"

Bella sighed. It wasn't about them being less worthy. It was never about that. She was just so tired of being hurt. "They aren't less worthy, mom. It's just I don't want what happened to happen again. I can barely look at La Push's soil without feeling like running away."

"But that's what they want you to do, Bella. Those girls who terrorized you want you to feel defeated enough to leave. Sure, they'll end up in jail but if they know that what you did caused you to walk out of the guys' lives they're going to be happy. I know you don't want that."

Bella was about to interrupt her mother when she said, "And I know what you're going to say. You don't care if they're happy just as long as you don't get attacked again. That's what I thought but that was because the girls who did this to me didn't even get put away. But with your attackers in jail, no one is going to hurt you, Bella. I'm sure that after witnessing the outcome of this incident, the other girls in La Push wouldn't dare harm you, especially if you come out on top. The best way to get revenge is through success and staying will be the best way to show them that they didn't beat you. And I doubt that those two big, strong men who love you will let anyone come even close to trying to beat you again, sweetheart."

Bella sighed and looked at the ceiling. She knew that what her mother was saying was right but she still felt like she needed at least some time away, just to clear her head.

Renee rested her head on top of Bella's. "You can leave Bella but I know you and I know that no matter how much you try to convince anyone or yourself, you won't be happy. I wasn't."

Bella looked up at her mother in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. I missed your father and everyone else like crazy. I hated that you couldn't see him every day…that I couldn't see him every day. But like I said, the idea of keeping you safe was enough for me."

"What about when Phil came along? Weren't you happy with him?"

"Yeah, for a while I was. But Phil is so young; it wasn't going to last. He wasn't done playing the field and my heart wasn't really in it. So I had to let him go. But I don't think you should let that Paul boy go. I know both of your hearts are in it so don't give that up, Bella."

Bella breathed in her mother's scent. She missed her a lot. She was always the only one who understood her and knew how to get through to her. She knew Renee was right. Bella wasn't the type to run away from her problems so she couldn't start now. She couldn't let those girls win and she couldn't let Paul and Jacob hate her. But a part of her still wanted to leave, even if it was just for a little while. She just hoped that Paul and Jacob understood and forgave her. Because even if she decided to leave, she knew she would come back.


	20. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

It had been a few days and Paul's wolf was going crazy. So was Paul.

He knew that one way to remedy this would be to go see Bella but he wanted her to come to him. That didn't stop him from sleeping in the forest outside of Charlie's home every night, though. _Hey, he was just worried._

He was having a difficult time staying away from her but he wanted her to seek him out. Paul knew she wasn't the most affectionate, shit, neither was he, but he needed to know that she was in this just as much as he was.

He didn't imagine that their first time would end the way it did. He didn't see them getting into an argument and him storming out on her. He didn't imagine them not speaking for days and him wondering if she had been packing the whole time they hadn't been talking. He saw them doing it over and over and over again until she was sore and he collapsed on top of her. He saw her lying in his bed for multiple days, eating his food, pissing in his can, showering in his tub, and watching his TV. When he let her. Because for the most part, they were going to be fucking. He wanted her, _their_, first time to be the first of many in a row. He wanted it to be memorable because it was great, not because they had gotten into some dumb fight.

As he relaxed on his bed, he remembered how angry he had been when he found out that Bella was planning on leaving. Overall, he was hurt because she hadn't told him first and she hadn't given him the chance to convince her otherwise. So when he got his chance, he made sure he would convince her properly. He remembered the spike of fear that shot up within her when he yelled at her. He also remembered the mesmerizing smelled that wafted through the air when he got closer to her. Paul thought about the glazed look on her face when she began to remember their first of many sexual encounters in the studio and in the shower. He remembered how much his wolf wanted to devour Bella when she lied before him naked, in his bed, with those few extra pounds from lying in the hospital bed for all of those weeks.

As Paul grabbed his cock, he remembered the way she looked at him when the tip of her tongue touched the tip of his dick. As he spread his pre-cum on his shaft he remembered how warm and moist her mouth felt over it. His hand tightly gripped and stroked his dick as he remembered her tiny hands squeezing and twisting the base of it. He grunted when he remembered how her mouth took his cock in as far as it could go, practically allowing it to hit the back of her throat.

_Fuck. He promised himself he wouldn't do this! He was so pissed at her._

_Aww…what the hell._

His hips lifted off the bed as he remembered her lying right in the same spot he was in, lifting her hips, tightening her legs around his waist as his cock slipped in and out of her slick, warm, tight hole. _Tight. She was so fucking tight._

He had come (pun not intended on his part) to realize that he didn't love anything more than being inside of Bella. Well, except Bella herself. But being inside of her was like a whole new experience for Paul. Paul Lahote had taken many a girls' virginities. He had broken many a hymens in his day. He had broken the hymens of girls who wanted their first times to be great and knew that Paul would be the guy to provide that greatness. There were some girls who were so enamored by him that they wanted him to be the one. _Humph, what the hell._ And then there were others who wanted to lose it their first time with no strings attached – no emotional attachment equaled no pain. Well, except for the breaking of said hymen, of course.

But there had never been a hymen that Paul had wanted to break more than Bella Swan's. She was the perfect package and Paul got the last bit when he took her virginity. Before they had sex, he had known that he wanted to be with Bella. He already knew that she was it for him. But when he slipped into that wet pussy those last few times and felt her walls contract and his dick throb in warning of his oncoming release, Paul had an epiphany. _This was it. She was it._ She was the owner of the only pussy he would ever come in for the rest of his life.

Usually, something like that would disgust Paul. Utterly disgust him. And he would laugh too. He would laugh and laugh and laugh. _"What a dumb thought," _he would think. But he knew something was different about Bella. Something had always been different about her. And hell, Paul was different. He was older and he was more in sync with himself and his destiny. He had tribal responsibilities, one of which used to include choosing a mate. But even when that choice was deemed unnecessary he realized that he didn't want Bella to be with anyone else and he couldn't imagine being with anyone else. He had already had his fair share of women. He didn't want any more. His wolf definitely didn't want anymore. He realized Bella as his mate – Paul wasn't quite sure which side of him recognized it first: the human or the wolf. Maybe it was at the same time. Maybe one influenced the other. Maybe they came to their decisions on their own. Paul couldn't remember. But he didn't really care because no matter how it happened, it did. Even without the imprinting season, he and his wolf were determined to make her theirs and keep her with them forever. So when she decided to leave they took drastic measures.

They pulled out the cuffs.

But the cuffs weren't just a way to keep Bella there. They were a symbol. They were a warning. They were a symbol of Paul's desire to keep Bella around, but not only that; they were a symbol of his possession. He wanted her to know something. He wanted her to know that no matter what, she was his. She couldn't escape from him. Once both he and his wolf recognized Bella as their mate, their souls had become bound forever. She was cuffed to him and he needed to demonstrate that to her because she didn't seem to understand it. No matter where she went, he would be with her. Maybe not physically at first, but soon enough, he would find her and take her. If not, she would come to him, no matter how much she wanted to deny it. Because she belonged with him. She belonged to him. _She was his._

And with that last thought, Paul grunted as his eyes rolled back and his dick throbbed uncontrollably, releasing his seed all over his hand and upper thighs.

* * *

Leah and Bella were going through floral magazines when Leah rolled her eyes and threw hers on the floor.

"Why don't we just pick the damn flowers off the side of the road?"

Bella laughed. "Because Sue would like them to look nice and not dirty your hands when you're walking down the aisle."

Leah shook her head. The wedding was on the damn beach. She didn't really care if her hands got dirty or not. She lied back on her side of the couch as she looked at Bella. "I still say you should choose 'em while on your vacation. Along with the bridesmaids' dresses."

Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head this time. Leah actually expected her to do this while she was in New York. As fucking if. Although she would probably be doing it while she sat in her mom's condo, all lonely and what not. When Renee and Bella moved to New York with Renee's parents—who had moved back there a few years earlier—Renee was in luck. While she went to law school, Bella had constant babysitters in her grandparents who had retired by then. Whenever Renee was too exhausted to take Bella to school, Renee's parents were there. Whenever Renee couldn't help Bella with her homework because she had class, Renee's parents were there. This had led to Bella having close relationships with her grandparents. It also led to Renee being able to become a successful lawyer who could afford to have such a beautiful condo. Bella and her mother had moved into it when Bella was twelve. It was near her grandparents' residence so she got to see them as often as she wanted. It was in a lovely neighborhood in Manhattan. So even though Bella would be lonely, at least she would be comfortably lonely in a nice, fancy condo.

As if reading her mind, Leah stated, "Maybe you should drag Paul along with you. Though I'm not sure you'd actually have to drag him."

Bella looked up from the daffodils page. "Why would I bring Paul?"

"Because you want to. And not just because you'll get to bang him in seclusion every day for weeks. But because you won't be able to stay away from him for too long. Go ahead, deny it. Don't care. I know what I'm talking about." Leah flipped through the pages of the bridesmaid magazine indifferently as she spoke.

Bella hadn't thought about asking Paul to go with her. She wasn't even sure if he would _want_ to go with her, after their last encounter. He hadn't called or come to see her. She was so used to him seeking her out so now she felt like maybe he didn't want to see her.

"Oh stop it, Bella," Leah said, still perusing the magazine. "Stop overthinking it. Just ask him. You know the big ole loser will follow you anywhere. So damn desperate…"

Bella looked down and laughed a little as Leah continued to murmur quietly. Leah was right. Paul would probably go with her, no matter how angry she had made him. And if she admitted it to herself, she'd realize that she really wanted him to go with her, too.

* * *

A little ways down the road, Jacob opened his front door despite his desire to avoid this particular visitor. But she finally did what he asked so the _least_ he could do was acknowledge her. She looked up at him hesitantly. It was a look he wasn't used to seeing on her usually confident face.

"Hi, Jake."

"Vanessa."

"Can I come in?"

Jake contemplated leaving her outside but once again, the values he learned from his parents intervened, forcing him to open the door and step aside so that she could enter his home.

He closed the door and turned around. The two ex-lovers stood across from each other silently. There was so much tension in the air, more than the two had ever experienced with each other. Jacob cleared his throat, which Vanessa, knowing him, took as a sign of his frustration. She spoke.

"So, I told Charlie."

Jacob nodded curtly. "I know. All four of them are being held until trial."

Vanessa nodded. "I heard." She stood there awkwardly, shifting her feet. Things had never been this tense between them before, even given all of the fights they had in the past. She knew it was her fault that things had become this bad between them.

"I'm sorry that it took me so long, Jacob. I know I should have been honest from the start and I am not going to make any more excuses."

"You shouldn't. You're lucky you got off with community service for coming forward when you did. You could have been considered an accessory because you stayed quiet for so long, knowing what happened and not saying anything sooner. She could have died because of your silence. You may as well have been one of the girls who hit her! The only reason your ass isn't in a cell is because you gave up the real perpetrators that the police wanted. Charlie really wanted to put you in jail but he cut a deal with your lawyer since he didn't want to seem like he was overdoing it and being biased."

Vanessa sighed and looked down. She knew Jake was right. That's why she was taking her community service seriously.

"I know, Jacob. That's why I've been committed to helping with the repair of the community since the riots broke out. I can't believe the whole imprinting thing has been cancelled."

"Well, I can believe it. Some girls just can't behave themselves when they feel threatened."

Vanessa looked back down. She knew he was partially referring to her and she felt rightly chastised, though he did a good enough job of it the last time she was there.

"I know that you're still angry with me Jake, which you should be, but I'm sorry. I'm really, very sorry Jake and I'd love it if you could forgive me. I know that might be asking for too much right now but maybe with some time…"

Jake shook his head as she trailed off. He had listened to enough. "You keep apologizing to me, but not the person who you should be apologizing too. Did you think of that? Huh? Did you think of the person who really deserves your apology?"

"Yes, Jake. I swear I have. But I didn't think that she would want to hear from me! The last time we spoke we got into a fight so I didn't think she'd even be open to me seeing her."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Just like you weren't open to telling the truth, huh? Whatever happened between you two was no fucking excuse to let her get beaten up and dumped in a car, nor is it an excuse to not apologize." As he finished his sentence, he suddenly looked at the door. "Hmm, I guess this is your chance."

Before she could even get out of her car, Jacob had the door open. Vanessa rubbed her forehead. She wasn't prepared for this at all. It was one thing to talk to them separately but at the same time? Vanessa didn't anticipate anything good coming out of this.

Bella walked up to Jacob. She wasn't sure if he was ready to speak to her yet but she knew he wouldn't ignore her, especially if he took it upon himself to open the door before she even knocked. Or maybe he just opened it to tell her off?

She looked at him. "Hey."

He smiled a little, despite himself. "Hey." The soft way he was looking at her quelled her fears regarding his forgiveness. But when he moved back so she could walk inside, her formerly calm demeanor quickly changed when she saw who was waiting there.

"Oh…am I interrupting something?" She looked at Jake.

"No, we were just talking about you. Seems like Vanessa has something to say."

Bella looked at a visibly nervous Vanessa. Vanessa cleared her throat uncomfortably. If she had known that she was going to see Bella so soon she would have prepared something to say. There was no easy way to apologize for something like this. "Um…so I'm sure that you know that I saw what happened to you."

Bella nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Well I went to your dad and told him about it…I know that it was wrong for me to walk away and keep quiet for as long as I did. But I swear to you, Bella, I didn't do it out of viciousness. I was just scared and unfortunately I took a long time to come forward."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "She doesn't seem to understand that she wasn't the one who had any reason to be scared."

Vanessa sighed and looked down as Bella ignored Jacob and continued to stare at Vanessa. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'm sorry for what I said to you that day, and I'm sorry for standing by and not doing or saying anything when you were getting hurt. And I'm sorry that it took me so long to speak to your father. It was wrong. I haven't even forgiven myself but I hope that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me, Bella."

Jake chuckled humorlessly. "You really expect her to forgive you after what you did?" He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Okay."

Both Vanessa's and Jake's heads whipped in Bella's direction.

"_Okay?_" Jake asked. "Okay what?"

"Okay, I forgive you," Bella said, looking at an awe-struck Vanessa. She couldn't believe it. There had to be some type of catch to this.

"I've come to realize that if I'm going to move on from this, I can't hold any anger. It's a waste of my time. So although I hate what you did and think it was cowardly as hell, I forgive you."

Vanessa was at a loss for words. Bella's decision made her feel even worse about what she had done. No wonder Jake was in love with her. The only thing she could stutter out was, "Th-thank you, Bella."

Bella nodded. The three stood in an awkward silence for a moment. Vanessa looked at Jake.

Jake laughed.

It was a loud, barely controlled, hearty laugh.

"This is bullshit. See, the Bella I know would never forgive someone for doing this to her. Maybe this 'new' Bella can be forgiving but I'm not. So although you have Bella's forgiveness, you don't have mine. So frankly, as far as I'm concerned, this is the last time we need to speak to each other. You can leave."

Vanessa felt dismissed. She sighed and looked down as she walked to the door. That definitely wasn't what she expected when she decided to go to Jake's place. She was happy to have Bella's forgiveness but the forgiveness she wanted more was Jake's. Vanessa had never imagined that she and Jake would end up like this. There was one point where she thought he was it for her. She looked back at the two friends, neither of whom were looking at her, before finally walking out the door, and possibly Jacob's life.

Jake stared at Bella once he heard the door close. "Really, Bells?"

She sighed and grabbed Jacob's arm, pulling him onto the couch with her.

"I don't have time to be angry, Jake. Forget about her. I just want to move on with my life, which is why I'm here."

Jake rolled his eyes. "If this is about you moving back to New York…"

"No…I'm not moving back there…permanently."

Jake looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well I think that I need some time away from here, just to begin to really get over what happened. I don't know if being here constantly is healthy for me. So, I'm going to New York for a few weeks. Probably until the end of August."

Jake nodded. "Is your mom going back with you?"

Bella shook her head. "No, uh…she's actually staying here. With Charlie."

Jake's left eyebrow rose. "Oh yeah?"

Bella nodded. "Seems like they've gotten closer. I don't know exactly what is going on but my mother is staying here for a while, it seems."

Jake smiled and nodded. He was proud and happy for Charlie, finally getting his girl. After like, seventeen years. His smile slowly dropped. "So you're going by yourself?"

Bella sighed. Here came the difficult part. "Well I was thinking of asking Paul to come with me."

She was afraid to look up at Jake because she knew what would be looking back at her. She didn't want to see Jake heartbroken.

"Paul, huh?"

She slowly looked up to see him watching her. She could tell he was trying to hide how he felt. She stroked his cheek.

"You know I love you, Jake…"

"Yeah, I know. But you're in love with Paul. If you weren't, I know you wouldn't have had sex with him."

Bella sucked in a breath. She should have known that it would get out, pack mind, abilities, and all.

"I wish I could have the both of you."

Jake looked at her. He bit his lip in an attempt to prevent the slow smile from building on his face. But looking at Bella, he couldn't help but allow it to form. The small smile soon turned into a soft laugh, the soft laugh turning into a boisterous guffaw. She laughed with him.

Once they calmed down, Jake placed his soft palm on her dark cheek. "You're too cute. I love you, Bella. Maybe a little more than a friend should but I want you to be happy. And if Paul makes you happy then you should go for it, because no matter how much he annoys the shit out of me, if you're going to be with anyone else beside me it should be someone I know will take care of you and love you how you deserve to be loved." He stopped and swallowed for a second. "But trust me, pretty girl, if he screws up, I'll be waiting."

And with that, Jake's soft lips landed on Bella's plump ones. This time, she laughed lightly as his lips caressed her own.

"Um Jake, you know, if you don't want Paul to kill me or you, you should really stop kissing me."

Jake smiled and placed one, last lingering kiss to her delicate lips. "Just trying to get my fill before you guys are official. Trust me, he'll understand."

Bella's cheeks flared as she smiled and shook her head. She was really lucky to have him and she knew it. He made this a lot easier than she thought he would. Paul would want to murder him when he saw this kiss but she agreed with Jake. He'd probably get over it once he realized how graceful Jake was in this moment of defeat. She kissed his cheek softly and stood. They hugged each other tightly, him lifting her a little, before he walked her to the door.

"I know you'll be busy with Paul, but don't forget to call me at _least_ once while you're in New York."

Walking backwards, she smiled and winked. "I could never forget you."

He smiled wistfully as he watched her drive off.

* * *

Paul opened his door to see a small package sitting on his stoop. He already knew what it was. He could smell the soiled panties and desperation. He threw it in his garbage without opening it. Just because imprinting season was cancelled didn't mean he and the guys still didn't receive condoms and house keys.

Paul was making his way back to his lonely bed when he heard her car pulling up. Dare he become excited? Maybe she was just passing by his house to go to someone else's place.

He was proven wrong when he heard her gentle, hesitant footsteps on his porch. He raced to the door (luckily she couldn't hear him desperately running because he was a werewolf who made no noise in his graceful human form…) and stood in front of it. He needed to calm down. She didn't need to know how excited he was to see that beautiful face again. He just hoped she wasn't there to tell him anything he didn't want to hear.

A few seconds after she rang the doorbell, Paul turned the knob and opened the door. He looked down to see her looking all cute and shy. He bit back a smile.

"So…I was thinking…," he could hear the nerves in her voice, "maybe we could do it cowgirl this time…?"

Paul grinned and shook his head. He wondered if it was weird that he knew exactly what she was saying. Maybe it was because sex was usually his language of choice?

Before his girl could doubt herself any more, he grabbed her shirt and gently pulled her inside.

* * *

**Hey there, ladies. A lovely reviewer, Zayide, brought up a lovely idea a few days ago. She suggested that I write a Paul-Bella-Jake outtake—how it would have happened if the three had decided to work something out. I'm willing to do it if there is enough interest expressed in it. I'm not sure if it would just be one outtake or a few because I'm assuming it would take them a while to work it out. Or maybe it'll just be some hot, sweaty, steamy sex. Lol. So let me know if you're interested. I think I'll post a poll if you don't want to leave it in your review…or if you don't review at all…**

**Also, just to throw this out there, the JBnP Awards voting period will end on the 22****nd****. Even if you're not a member on the site, you can vote. I would tell you to vote for my story but that would just be **_**shameful**_** so I'll just tell you to vote for whatever story you want. Here is the link: fluidsurveys(dot com)/surveys/jbnpawards/jbnp-2012-awards/. Or you can just go to JBnP's main page and click the link there...b/c FF always tries to destroy every link that is posted...  
**

**Thanks for the reviews, etc. :)**


	21. Chapter 19

**Sex Scene on Jacob Black N Pack! **

**FF Chapter 19**

The lovers breathed heavily as their sweat-slicked bodies lied against each other. After a few moments, Bella finally rolled off of Paul, breaking the intimate connection between their bodies. After their breathing evened out, Paul was able to speak.

"So does this mean you're not leaving?"

Bella laughed. "Aren't you going to compliment me on my cowgirl skills?"

"Hmm, I've seen better."

Bella gasped and hit Paul as he laughed and grabbed her hands. He looked at her seriously. "Best I've ever had." And she knew he meant it as she watched him kiss her hands.

She stared at him intently. _Somehow_ she just knew he meant what he said. That was why she knew she had made the right decision.

"You too. And I'm not just saying it because you're the only I've ever had."

Paul's smile was wide, and it was vibrant, and it was authentic. And Bella loved it. She gripped his cheek in her hand as his eyes glided over her face.

"So now you answer my question," he said. "Are you staying?"

"Well…for the most part I am…"

"What does that mean?" Paul asked as he sat up. He didn't know what she meant but he wasn't sure he liked the way this was going.

Bella sat up, too. "I am staying. But I thought that it would do me some good to go to New York for a couple of weeks. Probably until the end of the summer."

Paul nodded in understanding. So, that wasn't so bad. But being there without Bella for a couple of weeks? He had spent the last two months or so with Bella almost non-stop. He wasn't sure he or his wolf would be okay with her being so many miles away, especially for such an extended period of time.

He licked his lips slowly. "So…you're going to New York…but only until the end of the summer."

She nodded. "Yes."

"By yourself?"

"No."

"With your mom?"

"No."

"With…Leah?"

Bella smiled. "No."

"…With _Jacob_?" Paul felt his wolf rising to the surface at the prospect of Jacob being alone with _his_ girl for weeks. Didn't she know that he would only try to take advantage of her?

Bella laughed and shook her head. "No, silly."

Paul was becoming annoyed. He didn't like being kept in the dark, especially when it came to Bella. "With who? Charlie?"

Bella shook her head. "No. With you. I mean, if you'll have me."

Paul stared at her.

He _really_ stared at her.

Damn, this girl was everything.

"What do you mean if I'll have you? You're the only one I'll have," Paul murmured as he grabbed her by the back of her neck and began to pull her closer. She put her hand on his chest.

"So does that mean you'll accompany me?"

"Was there ever any question?"

Bella smiled as she looked at Paul. Even when he was angry with her, there was _never_ any question. She knew what he wanted, and it was her. She placed her palm back on his cheek.

"Never."

They leaned in at the same time. As Paul's lips slid against Bella's and Bella's arms wrapped around Paul's neck, both couldn't help but think that they had finally found what they were missing but didn't know they were looking for.

* * *

An hour later, Paul found himself outside of Jake's place. He paced back and forth on his porch. He knew Jacob was inside. Sooner or later, he would come out.

Paul was right.

A few minutes after Paul arrived, Jacob was opening the door and joining him on the porch. They both sat on the steps in silence.

"So you guys are going to New York."

Paul nodded. "I thought she would take you before she would take me."

"So did I," Jake admitted before they laughed. The two sat in a slightly awkward silence until Jake broke it again. "Look, I guess at some point I figured that she would choose you. That's probably why it was easier for me to accept it. I knew she had an attraction to me but she was sure about you. She wouldn't have…given you her virginity if she weren't."

Paul could sense how difficult this was for Jacob to say. He respected him for it. Bella was a special girl and he didn't know what he'd do if he had to give her up. He probably would never stop trying to win her over. _It was Bella._ She was it for him. He knew it and his wolf knew it. There was no way they'd ever let her go. And if Paul were being honest, he'd admit that they were both happy they didn't have to fight their brother over her anymore. It just made everything that more final.

Paul nodded in response to Jake's observation. "She wouldn't have. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Jake looked at Paul for a second and chuckled. "No, you're not."

Paul laughed loudly into the night. "You're right, I'm not. I am sorry that you're hurting, man. I know you love her."

Jake nodded solemnly. "I do. Which is why I want her to be happy. But you need to know that if you ever hurt her…"

"Yeah, yeah," Paul murmured.

"I'm serious, Lahote. I'll rip you to pieces. And you know I mean it."

Paul smirked and nodded. "I'm not even mad at you, bro. You have my permission to fuck me up if I ever do anything to hurt her. I know I won't, though."

Jacob nodded in understanding. They were both doing a lot of that. "You really love her, don't you?"

"I do."

Jake knew that was as much as he was going to get out of Paul. And it was okay with him. He knew that out of anyone, besides himself, Paul would be the one to protect Bella with his life. It made it that much easier to trust him with her. He was hurting because he thought that Bella was it for him, but he knew that if that were the case she would have felt it, too.

The two men stayed silent as they looked out into the distance. Finally, a type of peace settled over them as their wolves came to an unspoken understanding.

* * *

Renee's hands ghosted over the photos that sat above the fireplace in Charlie's living room. She was surprised to see that there was still a picture of the two of them from their earlier days as a couple. They were on the beach and he was carrying her on his back. They both were smiling brightly.

Renee didn't think that she would be in this place ever again – not just in Charlie's home, not just in Forks, but in a place where she could see herself with Charlie again. It was so crazy to her. Just a little while ago she thought that she would be doomed to years-long flings with younger guys who liked cougars – or, _older young women_ as Renee liked to refer to them. But now, here she was, back in a town and a place she never thought she'd be. It was under awful circumstances but Renee couldn't help but think that maybe it was a blessing in disguise – of course she would never consider what happened to her daughter a blessing but it gave them both an opportunity and it taught them both a lesson. It gave Bella the opportunity to make things official with Paul and it taught her to stand up for herself and for her rights. It gave Renee the opportunity to start over and it taught her that sometimes, no matter how hard one tried to avoid them, some things were just inevitable. It was a hard truth but it was one that Renee had to deal with.

Speaking of things she had to deal with, this…_thing_ with Charlie had to be cleared up. She wasn't quite sure what it was. When Bella announced that she would be going to New York for a couple of weeks, Charlie had assumed that Renee would be going with her. Boy was he surprised when Renee asked if she could stay. She knew she would never forget the look on his face. It was a mixture of shock and relief. The blush on his face gave that last feeling up.

The two had become closer over the past few weeks – they spent time together while Bella was in the hospital, and when she was out. But there was also someone else she had spent some time with: Paul's father. _Damn._

It wasn't really on purpose. She had run into him around town and they would just get to talking…and maybe a little bit of flirting. Paul's father was definitely attractive—very attractive—but he was some years younger than her and she did not want to be doomed to another damned years-long fling with a younger guy! And when she was being honest with herself, she knew she also didn't want to get involved in something with someone else when she still had these lingering feelings for her ex-husband.

Renee was jolted out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She looked up to see Charlie looking back at her with a slight blush on his cheeks. _Gosh, this man blushed for absolutely anything!_

"I never could get rid of that photo," he said as he walked closer.

She smirked. "Maybe it's because you're still trying to hold on to the strength you had as a teen."

Charlie laughed. He'd usually grunt when someone said something like that but he wanted to impress her.

"For that and…other reasons," Charlie said as he scratched his head and walked over to the couch. Renee smiled at his discomfort. He was always the cutest when he was uncomfortable. She followed him over to the couch.

"Yeah, we were happy then," she filled in for him. He nodded solemnly.

"Renee, you have no idea how much it hurt me to see you hurting. You and Bella were my everything and when you guys left, my whole world fell apart. I know that it was my fault for not being able to protect you enough. I'm sorry, Renee. I'm so damn sorry."

Renee didn't expect that at all. She knew that Charlie felt guilty—most of that was her fault—but if he ever admitted to it, she didn't expect to hear it so soon. She definitely wasn't accustomed to Charlie being so open about his feelings. But she was happy because although they were only a few sentences, she knew he needed to get them out. She had to get something out, too.

She tentatively raised her hand to his cheek. "Oh, Charlie," she murmured. His face was redder than she had ever seen it and to her, he had never been more endearing. "I don't blame you, Charlie. Not anymore. I did before. I blamed you for a really long time but eventually I came to realize that it wasn't your fault, none of it was. I was just so hurt and I was looking to blame anyone. I was angry at the whole world at that time. But it took years away from you to recognize that I made the wrong choice, Charlie. I should have been strong enough to stay with you, strong enough to raise my daughter with you, right here where we both belonged. So, _I'm_ sorry, Charlie. I am."

One thing that always worked for Charlie and Renee was that while Charlie was very reluctant to share his thoughts and feelings, Renee wasn't. With just one look, with just one touch, Renee was able to portray how both parties were feeling. And Charlie always understood.

He leaned in.

* * *

Right upstairs, Bella packed the last of her bags, which included Leah's floral and bridesmaid magazines. The least she could do, since she wasn't going to be around to plan for the last two weeks of August, was choose the flowers and the dresses. She would take pictures of what she chose and send them online or by phone to Leah. Leah didn't care how, just as long as she didn't have anything to do with the picking. "It's the maid of honor's job anyway," she had said as she put the magazines in Bella's hands.

As Bella zipped her bag up, she looked around her room. For the first time in a while, she felt…_at peace_. She was at peace with her decision. She knew that if she had decided to leave for good, she would miss out on so many things, so many people. She couldn't let the decisions of some bigoted, immature girls control her life. Her mother had made that choice but Bella learned from her mistakes.

Speaking of, Bella was proud of Renee. She still wasn't sure if anything was really going on between her parents but she wouldn't be surprised if she and Paul came back in a couple of weeks to news of their reunion. She looked forward to it. She had liked Phil but Charlie was her mother's soul mate, if such a thing existed. Bella believed it did.

And for some absurd reason, she believed Paul could be hers.

Usually, she'd call someone silly for believing that of someone they had only been seeing for a little over two months – especially if that person had only fully remembered one month spent with that someone – but this was a world where vampires and wolves existed. Why couldn't she know who her soul mate was within a few months? Even if before she started dating him she couldn't stand him and he slept around with tons of girls.

Okay, this was starting to sound bad.

Downstairs, Charlie and Renee were still going at it—quite heavily—on the couch. That was until the doorbell rang. Renee and Charlie abruptly pulled away and looked everywhere but each other.

"Ummm…" Renee murmured as her hand lazily wiped at her mouth.

"Uh, yeah," Charlie stammered as he tried to figure out what to say. He tugged at his mustache. "I think I'll answer the door."

"Yeah," Renee laughed out as she sat back and watched him walk to the door. Her skin and lips were in flames as she tried to process what happened. She hadn't felt that way since…since all of those years ago when she was with Charlie. What she felt with Phil was hot, and it was fun, and it was exciting. But this? This was hot but in a completely different way. It was heat that arose from the rediscovery and reconnection of something that had been lost for so long, something that she knew both she and Charlie had always missed.

And as Paul walked in and greeted Charlie and Renee, Renee couldn't help but think about how her rediscovery of something lost led to her daughter's own discovery of something she had but couldn't afford to lose.

Paul shut Bella's bedroom door. "You know, we really have to christen this place once we get back."

She smirked as she handed him her bags. "Not with my parents in the house."

"Why not? They were about to get it on while you were up here."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "_What?_"

Paul nodded. "If Charlie's blush and Renee's red lips…_and scent_…tell us anything, it's that they were getting hot and heavy until I so rudely interrupted."

Bella laughed quietly into Paul's chest. "Ewww! Let's leave them to it then."

Paul nodded and began to walk towards the door. "Or we could have a quickie in here while they continue downstairs."

"Ugh!" She pushed him as hard as she could as they laughed and continued down the stairs.

Charlie and Renee quickly bid them goodbye with short hugs for Bella and a quick handshake from Charlie, for Paul. Bella tried not to laugh as she turned around and walked to Paul's car. She waited to laugh until she was safely seated in the passenger seat and the door to her home had shut.

"Oh my gosh, do you see how quickly they pushed us out?"

Paul laughed along with her. "I told you. They're as horny as we are."

Bella rolled her eyes and pushed Paul. He grabbed her hands and held them to his chest. He looked intently at her again, the same way he looked at her after they had been together earlier that afternoon.

"You ready to do this, Swan?"

Bella didn't even have to think about it. She nodded gently. "Never been more ready for anything."

As Paul softly pressed his lips against hers, Bella couldn't help but think that she was crazy for questioning it before. _He was totally her soul mate._

* * *

**Hmm, seems like it takes the possibility of a threesome to get people to come out and review! Lol. It would be nice to get that kind of response for future chapters.**

**I've decided that I will be writing the outtake – I'm not sure yet if it'll be one or multiple. We'll have to see when the time comes! Thanks for all of the feedback!**

**Now the next chapter may cover Paul & Bella's trip to New York so it'll be angst-free; not sure yet. But that's just as well because when they return to Forks, they will have to face their demons.**

**Thanks for the reviews, etc. :)  
**


	22. Chapter 20

**Nasty scene on JBnP! That makes this chapter much shorter, sorry!**

**Chapter 20**

Bella wasn't quite sure how they managed to score two plane tickets to New York of all places at the last minute, so she chalked it up to Taha Aki being on their side. Of course, because it was so last minute, the seats that they were assigned weren't together. But with some good-hearted intimidation, Paul was able to scare the guy next to Bella into giving him his seat.

That was the easy part. The hard part came when Paul realized he had never been on a plane before. This gave him an excuse to hold Bella's hand tightly in his own for the whole flight. Bella didn't really mind. _But_, she was quite relieved when they got off of the plane because she feared Paul would piss his pants in the seat right next to her. She wasn't open to that.

Fluttering erupted in Bella's stomach as they finally pulled up to her mother's home later on that night in the car her mom left outside. Thank God Paul could see perfectly in the dark.

Bella smiled brightly when Paul stopped the car and looked over at her. _She was so nervous! _She had never brought a guy home before. She wondered if her high school vampire boyfriend, Edward, counted when he climbed through her window while she was sleeping and unaware of his presence. Hmm.

Paul sensed her nerves and grinned. "I'm sure I'm going to love the place."

Bella laughed. "Especially now that we have food," she said as she looked at the loads of grocery bags in the bag seat. When they pulled up to Renee's place in a cab, Bella had reminded Paul that the food in the house might be spoiled. Renee made sure to give Bella her car keys before they left so, being the shape shifter he was, Paul quickly grabbed Bella, got into Renee's car, and sped to the supermarket with no argument.

Once they (Paul) got their luggage and food inside, Bella could finally relax and show Paul around the condo—everywhere except her mother's bedroom. Bella knew that if she stepped foot in there with Paul behind her, her mother would somehow find out and spank her over the phone.

Just as the two got to Bella's bedroom door, she stopped. "Um, we can't go in there."

"Why?" Paul asked as he caressed her red-tinted cheek.

"Ummm…because…"

Paul smirked. He could sense her nervousness once again. "What do you have in there?"

Bella bit her lip. "Nothing…"

Paul laughed. "Move out of the way, Bella."

"Noooo, just let me fix it up first."

He laughed and picked her up, quickly putting her over his shoulder. She kicked at the door and swatted at his back. "PAUL!" she screamed as he opened the door and put her down. As soon as he looked at the walls, he guffawed.

"B2K? MICHAEL JACKSON?" he laughed uncontrollably as he looked at the posters plastered all over her walls. "This is even worse than the dirty teddy bear you insist on sleeping with at Charlie's house."

_Fuck. _She can't believe she forgot her teddy bear!

She pouted. "It's not that dirty. And shut up, I was a kid. I was into B2K. And Michael Jackson was awesome."

He laughed and held her close. "That's cute, babe. Real cute."

She smiled as he released her and walked around the room. He took a deep breath and then exhaled. If it was even possible, his posture relaxed more than it already had, and he had a faraway look on his face.

"What?" Bella asked.

"Smells like you. Everything is just…you," he said, looking at her.

She smiled. _He was so sweet._

"But now I need it to smell like us," he said as he advanced toward her.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. _What an ass._

The next day, Paul and Bella slept in until about one that afternoon. They had come in late and were exhausted – not enough to skip sex – so they planned on sleeping in late, unpacking, and then traveling around the city.

"I've always wanted to come to New York," Paul said as he and Bella walked hand in hand to the 96th Street train station.

"Then why didn't you?"

"I never really had…any incentive."

Bella looked up at him. "Oh yeah? And now you do?"

"Well of course. Maybe we could take vacations here in the future," he said as he looked around peacefully.

"We?"

He looked down at her. "Of course. If you think you're going anywhere without me, think again."

She chuckled and shook her head as they walked into the train station.

What Bella enjoyed tremendously the whole day was that when people stared at them, it wasn't because of her skin color. It was mostly because short, petite Bella was with a huge native guy who was sweating _profusely_ in the train station. So much so that he removed his vest. Then most people stared because they were extremely jealous of Bella. And she loved it, although she did tend to stand away from him when he had his shirt off. It was New York, after all. He looked kind of ridiculous. "This isn't La Push," she would tell him. But he would just smile and kiss her because he knew she didn't like PDA.

The whole day, Bella gave Paul a tour of the places she was familiar with – the schools she went to, the MoMA, the Bronx Zoo, and of course her shopping central. They only stopped to eat and use the bathroom, which was quite often given Paul's appetite.

At eight, the two went back to Renee's place with Chinese in tow for dinner. When Bella lived in New York, she was too young to go clubbing but Paul was determined to find a club later that night. Although he knew Bella didn't drink, he planned on getting her at least tipsy for what he had planned.

"I can't believe this is the first time I'm going clubbing in New York," Bella said from inside the bathroom.

"How come you haven't gone before, whenever you came to visit your mom here?" Paul asked from her bedroom, which was right next to the bathroom.

"Well my mom is cool, but not cool enough to take her little girl clubbing," Bella said as she exited the bathroom and stood in the doorway of her room.

It didn't take long for Paul's dick to stand to attention when he spotted her.

The dress was simple, like Bella. It was black. It was sleeveless. Pretty simple. But Bella's ass looked _perfect_.

Paul adjusted his jeans as his eyes roamed over her, seemingly in slow motion. That was until she cleared her throat. "Um, can you quit gawking so we can leave?"

Paul smirked. He wondered if they should just skip the club and get to what he wanted to do tonight.

As soon as they entered the club, Paul was already considering taking off his shirt to avoid sweating through it before they even hit the dance floor. All he could smell throughout the club was alcohol, sweat, sex, and desperation. _He loved it._

As they walked through the people crowding the area, Paul couldn't help but smirk to himself. He already knew that he and Bella made an extremely attractive couple but it was confirmed even more by the smoldering looks of lust on the faces of many men and women they passed. Knowing he still had it (not that he ever doubted that) boosted his already too-high confidence but knowing that none of the guys in the club would ever have his girl boosted it even more.

The two immediately got the attention of the bartender as soon as they walked up. "What can I get you?" the red-headed bartender asked as she smiled flirtatiously at the both of them.

"Um, I'll have-"

"A Rum and Coke," Paul answered for Bella. She looked up at him. "No Paul, you know I don't drink."

"Come on baby, Rum and Coke is not that bad. Just a little bit and if you don't like it I'll get you some…_water_," he said as he scrunched up his face. She rolled her eyes and looked back at the bartender. She smiled. "I'll have some water, please."

The bartender giggled. "Oh come on sweetheart, Rum and Coke is one of the mildest drinks on the menu. Good for a beginner. It won't hurt to have a little taste."

The way the bartender licked her lips got Paul a little shifty. He wondered if Bella would be open to a threesome. No…not his Bella…although, she was a bit freaky; he knew that much…but she wouldn't be up for it when she just started having sex. Maybe if he brought it up in the future she would be up for it? Taha Aki, how fucking awesome would that be? His girl, his little ole Bella, up for a threesome. At the same time, he wasn't okay with sharing, and the way this bartender was looking at his girl was unsettling, so-

"Paul?" Bella asked as she looked up at him.

He looked down and chuckled. "Yeah, baby. It's not that serious. You think I'm going to let something happen to you? It's not going to hurt if you drink a little bit of the Rum and Coke. Just a sip, at least, then I'll drink the rest of it."

Bella sighed and looked back at the bartender, who smiled encouragingly. "Fine. But just a sip."

Three Rum and Cokes later, Paul's little ole Bella was dancing on top of the bar. Damn, his girl was a fucking lightweight. But she was having fun and so was he.

"Woohoo!" he heard her shout as she danced to "Wild Ones" by Flo Rida. The people around the bar cheered her on as she displayed all of the moves she could make on top of a tiny bar. As the song ended, she literally fell into Paul's arms as the people around cheered and clapped. Some of the men reached to catch her but there was no need because Paul wouldn't have let her fall. He also wouldn't have let any of those idiots touch her.

She laughed freely as Paul held her to him wedding style, and then slowly set her on her feet. She held on to him loosely.

"Havin' fun, sweetheart?"

She nodded. "Oh, yessss." She turned towards the bar. "'Notha Rum and Coke, puh-leasse!" Paul laughed and shook his head at the bartender who laughed as well. "Umm, no baby, let's dance."

"Mmmkay," Bella said as Paul led her to the back of the club.

He leaned up against the wall just as "It Seems Like You're Ready" by R. Kelly flowed through the speakers.

He gripped Bella's waist and pulled her closer to him. They were chest to chest as both started to move their bodies to the song. It wasn't long before Bella slid up and down his body as she sang along, "It seems like you're readddy. It seems like you're readddaaayyy."

Paul laughed. She was so drunk.

The mood quickly became serious as she turned around. He was bent so low that their midsections matched up when she began to rock up against him. His hands stayed glued to her hips as she bent down, circling her ass against his crotch.

_God, he loved drunken Bella._

One of his hands came up to his mouth; he bit down on his closed fist in an attempt to rein himself in before he lost control. He knew that if he didn't bite his fist he'd be trying to bite something else.

His hands slid down her stomach as she came back up and switched her hips slowly. Their hips moved against each other in synchrony. Soon, he realized he couldn't take the teasing anymore and he slid one of his hands under her dress. He heard the faint gasp escape her lips as her ass rubbed against him a little harder.

"I want to take you home," he whispered in her ear as his finger caressed her clit.

Her hand rubbed his neck from behind as her breath came out in gasps. "Can we bring Rum and Coke, too?"

Thirty minutes, a couple kisses and a few crotch grabs later, Bella and Paul were struggling to undress each other as they pushed their way into the condo. Paul's shirt was on the floor; Bella's lips were all over his face, neck, and chest as he hoisted her up and wrapped her legs around him. He walked over to the couch and laid her body there.

"Stay here. I'll be right back," he whispered before licking the shell of her ear.

She whimpered and pouted. He smiled and began to walk to the kitchen. He heard her trying to undress herself behind him. "Don't take off the shoes."

He ran into the kitchen, grabbed some matches, candles, and a few other items.

When he ran back into the living room, he almost dropped everything at the sight before him.

* * *

**Let Me Love You Down…**

* * *

He cuddled Bella to him and rubbed her back while their breathing evened out. Once their hearts finally began to beat in sync, Paul took a strawberry and dipped it in some chocolate. He held it up to Bella's mouth and watched as she bit into it. He ate the rest of it.

As her fatigue and his heat caused Bella to fall asleep against him, Paul dipped another strawberry into the chocolate and couldn't help but hope that the rest of the vacation went like that. He and Bella losing themselves in each other, in the freedom they both felt being together with no expectations, no pain. Them melting into each other, enjoying each other in ways nobody else would be able to, in the middle of the night, in the dark, with strawberries and chocolate in hand.

* * *

**Hi everyone, sorry about the short chapter but I don't want to get deleted! Anyway, I was just informed a few days ago that a lovely reader, CeeCee A. Picanzo featured my story on her blog. If you're interested in reading her blog post, you can find it on CeeCee's Circus ( (dot com) / page / 4 /). Check it out; it's a great blog! Thanks so much, CeeCee!**

**And thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing, etc.**


	23. Chapter 21

**Warning: Violence. Big time jump a little later in the chapter.**

**Chapter 21**

Most of their nights went like that.

The lovers hung out during the day – they went on tours, shopped, went to the park, the beach, or just hung out at the house. At nights, they'd go out to dinner, to a club, to the movies, or they just stayed home. But no matter what they did, at the end of the night, it was clear what was going to happen. Paul loved it. And although Bella wouldn't admit it, she loved it too.

It was the last night and the two decided to stay home and eat so that they could be completely alone for their last night in New York. Together, they cooked a meal consisting of chicken, rice, beans, and cornbread.

They sat closely together at the kitchen table as Paul fed Bella from his plate. She eyed him weirdly. He had been so sweet all day and it was freaking her out.

"What is wrong with you?"

Paul raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You've been so nice all day…opening doors, pulling out chairs, and now feeding me from your _own_ plate? What is that about?"

Paul shrugged. "I'm always nice to you."

Bella rolled her eyes.

"Okay. I just…I…"

Bella's face scrunched up in confusion. She had never known Paul to be at a loss for words. It was bothering her not to know what was going on with him.

"Spit it out, Paul."

"Fuck, I just want you to be my imprint! Okay? I've been acting nice all day because I want you to be my fucking imprint. Is that so difficult to believe?"

Bella's eyes almost popped out of her head. _Whoa. _She wasn't expecting him to come straight out with it like that. Bella wasn't quite sure what to say. She guessed it wasn't so difficult to believe that he would ask her that. So why was she all of a sudden wondering if this was the best thing?

Bella sighed and rubbed her forehead. It wasn't like she believed that she and Paul weren't heading to a serious place in their relationship, if they weren't there already. But they were still so young and Bella was still so inexperienced. There was a reason why imprinting season had been cancelled – well, it was because of the rioting but wasn't this maybe a sign? Shouldn't they take this and use it as an opportunity to live their lives before settling down completely?

Paul grabbed Bella's hand away from her head. "Don't do that."

"What?"

"Don't hide from me. Just tell me, Bella."

She sighed and looked at Paul as he held her hand to his mouth. He was right. She had decided she was going to be honest with Paul so there was no reason to lie now.

"It's just that, I'm not sure. I mean imprinting season was cancelled because of the riots but don't you think it also gives you and the guys a chance to really decide what you want? To go and figure things out before you choose who you're going to settle down with? I don't think you should waste this chance."

Paul sighed. _This marked the return of indecisive Bella._

"I'm not the one who needs to figure out what I want."

Bella looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"You're the only one here who needs to figure it out. I already know what and who I want. I'm tired of trying to go out and figure out who I am. I already know who I am and where I'm supposed to be. I'm supposed to be with you. Now I'm impatient but I'm willing to wait until you figure out that you're supposed to be with me. But don't take too long, little one. Because if you don't figure it out soon I will take what I want. You know I have no problem doing that," Paul said as he got up, kissed her forehead, and stalked away from the table.

Bella sat in a bit of a shocked state. First of all, she was surprised Paul even gave her time to think – usually he just did whatever he wanted and told her what she was going to do, too. Damn, this must have been _really_ important to him then. But why? She figured Paul would be thrilled with the cancellation. He didn't have to stick to one woman; he could mess around all he wanted, just as he had before. She figured the only reason he began dating her seriously was because he deemed her the best choice as an imprint. Was it foolish for her to think of him that way? It had been weeks since the process was cancelled and he was _still _there with her – taking care of her, loving her (all night sometimes), and just being with her. Maybe this was real for him. But what about for her? She remembered—it seemed so long ago—that right before the summer started, she was going to find a boy to freak off so that she wouldn't feel so innocent and undesirable anymore. But it had turned into so much more for her. She thought she wanted to experience multiple guys before she settled down but was it possible that Paul was it? Was Paul the only guy she could ever see herself with? She was beginning to think that that was the case. She had never seen herself falling in love with Paul but it happened. And she figured that Paul may have fallen in love with her, too.

But if she was okay with it and Paul was okay with it, that just left the rest of La Push. Bella knew she shouldn't let them have a part in her happiness but it was inevitable if her friends from La Push were going to be a part of her life, and if she was going to be an imprint. Bella hoped that Emily and company would be put in jail but what if for some reason they weren't? What would happen then? What if they were put in jail but other people still had a problem with her?

_God, Bella was supposed to be relaxing and she felt like she was back in La Push! When did things get so damn difficult for her?_

At that moment, Bella made a decision. She was so tired of feeling this way – feeling indecisive, scared to live her life where she wanted, and the way she wanted. It wasn't a good feeling. She had enough of it. She got up and stormed to her bedroom.

Paul lay on Bella's bed, breathing in her scent on her pillow. He knew she would make the right decision. Well, he hoped she would, anyway. His heart depended on it.

_Fucking pansy._

Just as he was about to smother himself with the pillow, he heard light footsteps running down the hall. He sat up right as Bella jumped into his waiting arms. After he wrapped his arms around her, Bella pulled away and kissed him until he was breathless. She grabbed his face. "Fuck it. I love you, Paul Lahote. You're an asshole, and you're annoying, and I'm scared as hell but I love you. And I want to be your imprint. So you're stuck with me." Paul wouldn't dare show it, but he was fucking ecstatic. Neither he nor Bella were the most expressive with words so the fact that she came out and told him exactly how she felt was…incredible. Her mini-rant ended with a kiss. It was a kiss so deep and so inspiring that Paul couldn't stay quiet any longer. His hands slid up her back and he pulled away.

He looked into her eyes as his warm skin got even warmer. "I love you too, Swan."

Bella's heart raced as she leaned in and kissed him again. She knew deep down that Paul loved her but to hear him say it was something completely new and different.

It was new and different for Paul, too. He had never told a woman besides his mother that he loved her. He realized he liked how it felt – and even better, she was the one who said it first. That had to mean something. It had to mean she really meant it. It gave him the assurance he needed.

* * *

Some months later, in January, nothing much had changed in Forks and La Push. Well, if Charlie and Renee being rather open around town about their relationship was nothing much, nothing much had really changed.

Leah wanted a spring wedding so the date was set for May 12th. But that didn't mean that work wasn't being done way ahead of time. Leah didn't want to hear any complaints about school work so during the remainder of the summer vacation, and during winter vacation, everyone tried to get as many things done as they could. This was all on top of Christmas and New Year planning, but Leah really didn't care. Apparently, her wedding was top priority. It was so important that she ordered Sam to order the guys to work on the wedding whenever Leah absolutely needed them to. She held all of the control in their relationship.

Imprinting season was still canceled but that didn't mean that some ceremonies weren't still taking place. Embry and Chelsea's ceremony was the beautiful precursor to the celebrations of the New Year. Paul joked that with how tied at the hip Charlie and Renee were, they should have an imprinting ceremony as well. Paul and Bella were still going strong _but_ Bella wasn't quite sure that she wanted to have their ceremony just yet. Paul had a couple of theories as to why that was the case.

Jake hadn't spoken to Vanessa since the night Bella forgave her for not saying anything when she saw what was happening to Bella. As far as he was concerned, Vanessa didn't deserve his friendship or his love after that.

Almost six months later, he was finally over his non-existent relationship with Bella. He loved her a lot and he knew that Paul was taking good care of her so he was happy. He wasn't seeing anyone exclusively at the moment but he was dating a lot and he came to realize that he quite enjoyed the single life – so maybe he wasn't going to search for his one and only quite so soon. But, Jacob was made to love so it wouldn't be too long until he found the one.

As for Emily, Serena, Desiree, and Valerie, they were still being held until the trial, which was set to begin the next day.

Bella was currently in Paul's home, on her laptop, pretending that nothing was wrong. But Paul knew better.

"Baby."

"Yes?" Bella asked, looking up at him.

Paul sighed. "I think we need to talk."

"About what?"

"About us, about the trial…" he trailed off.

Bella sighed. "Look, I know that the trial is tomorrow. I'm prepared for it; I know what to expect. But as for us, I don't know what you could possibly want to discuss."

"You know what I want to discuss, Bella. There's a reason you don't want us to do the imprinting ceremony. Now either you can say it or I can say it."

Bella shrugged. "I guess you can say it since you seem to know everything."

Paul rolled his eyes and sighed. He was trying to be patient with her because he knew how difficult this was going to be for her. "I know it has to do with the trial. I get that you're freaked about it and it's making you not want to do the ceremony but I think it's even more of a reason to, baby. After the joining we'd be so much stronger, so much more connected. It'll help calm both of us during the trial process."

Bella sighed and moved her laptop off of her lap. "Look, Paul, even if we wanted to do it, it's too short notice. It's too late to do it now. Also, whether or not I want to do the ceremony has nothing to do with the trial. It has everything to do with us taking more time to get to know each other first. The joining ceremony is like marriage in your culture and I want us to take our time. I agreed to be your imprint, but that doesn't mean we need to do it immediately. I don't understand why you're in such a rush, Paul."

"Because I don't want to lose you, Bella! Fuck, I know that if we go through this trial without us being imprinted it'll be the first thing that makes you reconsider staying with me. You promised to stay here but this trial is going to bring up so many memories for you, so many feelings that I know will make you want to run and hide. Being imprinted will not only make us both stronger during the process; it'll ensure you don't fucking run away from me and La Push at the first sign of trouble."

By the end of his rant, Paul was beet red and breathing heavily. He loved Bella with everything in him and if he had to lay it all on the table to get her to understand that he didn't want her to bail, he would. The last thing he wanted to do was come off as clingy and desperate but…well, he was. But in an extremely masculine way.

Bella sat up on her knees and grabbed Paul's face. "Listen to me, Paul. No matter what happens at the trial, I love you. I love you and I love our friends, and my parents, and I'm staying. I know everything was tentative with me before and I know how that would make you feel like I'm going to be quick to run away after this trial but I promise you that I won't. I wouldn't be happy if I did, Paul."

She got a little closer and wrapped her arms around his neck as he grabbed her waist. Her hand stroked the top of his neck and the bottom of his hair. She heard purring coming from the depths of his chest.

"I wouldn't be able to see you or my parents very often. I wouldn't be able to spend a lot of time with you. I wouldn't be able to love you properly from New York, emotionally or…physically."

She knew his interest had peaked when his eyes suddenly shot open. She thought his ears shot up, as well. He quickly reined himself back in. His face was a cool, cocky mask. "Oh yeah?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"Oh yeah," Bella said as she kept her composure as well. "I wouldn't be able to make love to you…and I _certainly_ wouldn't be able to," she leaned in and whispered in his ear, "suck your dick until your hot cum is sliding down my throat." She licked the shell of his ear and bit down gently on the lobe before pulling away. "Now I certainly wouldn't be able to do that from afar."

The only signs of Paul's arousal were the hardening in his pants and the growl he released before he pushed Bella until her back made contact with the bed.

* * *

Renee paced back and forth on the floor of what was now her and Charlie's bedroom. Charlie came out of the bathroom and watched as his lady love tired herself with worry. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Please calm down, Renee. Everything is going to be fine." Charlie already knew what was worrying her. It wasn't just because it was worrying him, but it was also because it was what had been bothering Renee for the last week or so.

"I'm trying, Charlie. But it's difficult. I know that this is going to be extremely tough for Bella and I just don't want this to be what breaks her. And what if those monsters get away with what they did to my baby? God, Charlie, I don't know what I'd do."

Charlie sighed and kissed Renee's forehead. "I know what happened to you back then, honey, but things aren't the same now. I'm pretty certain that they will not get away with this. And as for Bella breaking, that's impossible. It's impossible when she has such a great support system behind her. If those girls beating her up didn't destroy her, the trial sure won't."

"I know Charlie but I can't help but worry. This is my baby here."

Charlie smiled and turned her around so that she faced him. "I know. Look, I have an idea that might make you feel a little better…take your mind off of this…"

Renee blushed, which was a rare occurrence for her at this age. "Oh, Charlie…I thought it took you a little longer to get back-"

Charlie cut her off with a laugh. "No, no, honey. Not that. Come with me."

Charlie grabbed their things and pulled her out of the room.

* * *

The next morning, a number of huge, tan men filled the majority of the courtroom in Forks. They could all feel Bella's nerves even as she paced back and forth outside. Paul grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.

"Chill, baby. Deep breaths. Deep breaths."

Bella inhaled Paul's unique scent and breathed out slowly. She felt him release her when her mother spoke.

"Hi, sweetheart."

Bella turned around and hugged her parents. "Hi."

Renee smiled at her daughter and caressed her hair. "My baby. You're going to be fine in there. Don't worry, you have all of us."

Charlie nodded and Bella's eyes found her mother's hand as it rested on Charlie's shoulder. Bella narrowed her eyes.

"Mom, why do you have an engagement and a wedding ring on?"

Charlie and Renee looked at each other and shared knowing smiles.

"We got married last night!" Renee exclaimed. Paul and Bella looked at each other and laughed.

"What? You guys eloped?"

"Yes, sweetheart. I know it's hard to believe but your old dad is still very spontaneous," he said as he straightened his tie.

Renee rolled her eyes. "Yes, it was entirely your father's idea. I know he's going to be bragging about this until the end of time."

Bella laughed and shook her head as Paul bid them congratulations.

"This is a happy thing to think about while you're in there, honey. I know that may be difficult but just try to take this as something to look forward to in your own future. Because you do have a future, baby. A future that includes lots of love and happiness. Those girls don't."

Bella nodded. If anyone could make her feel better, it was her mom. And she was right. She _did_ have a future – no matter what happened in there. And it was bright.

"We should get inside, guys," Charlie said as he put his hand on Renee's back and led her into the courtroom. Paul and Bella looked at each other and smiled. He grabbed her hand and led her into what he knew was sure to be a very trying and emotional experience for everyone involved.

Renee was just about to take her seat on the right side—figuratively and literally—of the courtroom when she heard it. The voice was so familiar, so reminiscent of the incident and the memories she tried to forget years ago. Her breath caught in her throat as she heard the voices in the courtroom but allowed the voices in her head to take precedence.

"_Grab her arms! Grab her arms!"_

Renee's world titled off its axis when she heard another eerily familiar voice.

"_Black bitch!"_

The memories reached a climax when the familiarity of the last voice struck her.

"_Maybe now the bitch knows she doesn't belong here."_

She felt Charlie's hand on her arm but the only things she registered were the voices, the memories and the feelings those voices conjured up. The feelings she hadn't felt in a very long time.

Renee took a deep breath as she slowly looked to her left and faced people she thought she would never see again.

Though Renee could only see profiles of their faces, they were enough to send her brain into overdrive.

_That afternoon, Renee decided to walk to pick Bella up instead of drive. It was a particularly nice day in Forks and she didn't want to pass up the chance to skip through the town with her little girl._

_As she headed to Bella's school, she noticed a car pulling up and following her slowly. If she learned anything from living in New York, it was that that was never a good sign. She began to walk faster. Unfortunately, the speed in which she walked wouldn't have mattered._

_Before she knew it, a gang of women—she wasn't sure how many—surprised her as they ran out of the car and pushed her to the ground. She screamed but was quickly cut off with a swift kick to the mouth. _

"_Grab her arms! Grab her arms!" she heard as she tried her hardest to swing at whoever was doing this to her. _

_Renee had never been so scared in her life. She couldn't even think clearly. The only things she could do were cry and watch. She cried for herself. She cried for her daughter. She cried for the baby she would never know._

"_Black bitch!" she heard as she felt a foot make contact with her side. Laughter could be heard around her but as the tears fell down Renee's face she tried to block it out._

"_Maybe now the bitch knows she doesn't belong here."_

_She watched as they all took their turns. There was kick after kick, punch after punch. Even when the hits were made to her face, she kept her eyes open for as long as she could. The tears slid down her face but she didn't close her eyes unless absolutely necessary. She wanted to see who was doing this to her. Mostly, she wanted them to see who they were doing it to. She wanted them to look at her and remember her piercing black eyes for the rest of their lives. She wanted her eyes to haunt them. If that was all she could contribute to this unfair fight, she was going to do it to the best of her ability. If haunting them was the only retribution possible, she was going to haunt the shit out of them. She hoped that when they slept, when they woke, when they fucking __**breathed**__, her battered, bloody face with the striking brown eyes was all they saw. _

* * *

**A huge thank you goes out to **_**Samantha (Carebear31374**_**) for the lovely idea she gave me in a review ages ago, hehe. See what a review can do? It takes a couple of hours to write a chapter…just a couple of minutes to review…hell, a couple of seconds if it's just one or two words! :)  
**

_**Trading Season **_** is the featured story for the month of August on CeeCee's Circus** (kpicanzo . wordpress . com)**! Thanks again, girl! :)  
**


	24. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Renee."

"Mom?"

She heard both her husband and her daughter calling out for her but she couldn't stop looking. Soon enough, Charlie and Bella were looking, too.

Bella had no idea who those women were, but from the look on her mother's face—the same look that Bella would soon have when facing her own attackers—she had an idea.

One of them stared at Renee in what seemed like shock. Another stared at Renee defiantly. And the other looked around uncomfortably, as if she didn't want to face her past like Renee was doing right now.

Charlie knew who they were immediately. He remembered those faces staring back at him on the stand over twenty years ago. His face reddened drastically as he made the connection. He couldn't believe that these monsters were related to those three girls – well, he could believe it, actually.

One of the women began to walk over to Renee, just to quickly be stopped by a protective Charlie.

"I really don't think you should do that," he said, immediately taking on his detective tone.

The woman was about to open her mouth, but was stopped when officers walked through the side of the courtroom with the prisoners. Charlie thought that he now had two women to worry about but he should have known better – with half of a courtroom full of wolves, his women were taken care of well.

He noticed that Paul had his arm around Bella's shoulders and Jake held Bella's hand. Embry had gotten Renee a bottle of water. Charlie knew then that he and his girls weren't alone in this.

Soon the judge came in and everyone was seated.

Both the District Attorney and the defendants' defense gave their opening statements. With those, the trial really began.

"The people call Isabella Swan to the stand."

Bella's heartbeat sped up dramatically. She knew that she would be called first and she was ready for it, but a part of her still wasn't quite prepared. Her whole body shook but then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked behind her and made eye contact with Quil. He smiled comfortingly and she smiled back. At the same time, she felt Paul's grip tighten on her hand. She tried to draw something from his strength. She took a deep breath and stood.

Bella felt all eyes on her as she quickly walked the seemingly long, yet rather short, distance between her seat and the seat at the stand. In that fast-paced walk, her skin grew red and hot as a million thoughts and feelings plagued her.

_What if she screwed up? What if the defense made her look stupid? Even worse, what if he made her look like she was lying?_

_God, she could feel all of their eyes on her. Each and every single one. They were all sizing her up, waiting for her to break down. She could feel their eyes—Emily's and her friends'—burning holes into her back as she walked up to the stand. They were teasing her. They were judging her. They were attacking her all over again. They were daring her to stop. They were daring her to turn around and run out of there without looking back. They were daring her to fail._

Bella's hand shook as she placed it on the Bible and swore to tell the truth. She willed herself to be a woman about her words and not show her fear. She wanted these monsters to go down and she knew that if anyone's, her testimony was going to be what did that. She had to convince the jury of their guilt and her tragedy.

"Ms. Swan, do you know the defendants?" asked the District Attorney, Nora Bates.

"I don't really know them personally but I spend a lot of time in La Push and I've seen them around."

"Have you ever had a conversation with any of the defendants?"

Bella nodded. "Yes, once, with Emily Wind."

"What did you discuss?"

"A few months ago we were at the same bonfire one night. She bumped into me and when I asked her why, she said that it was dark outside so she couldn't see me. I said 'excuse me?' and she smiled and asked if it offended me. I said it did because, of course, she was referring to the color of my skin-"

"Objection!"

Bella jumped a little when the defense lawyer said it. She wasn't expecting to hear one of those so early.

"The witness is assuming that my client was referring to the color of her skin, but no where in her statement did it imply this was the case."

The judge looked at the defense lawyer, Bo Banks, and then said, "Overruled. I'd like to hear how the rest of the conversation went."

Bella took a deep, relieved breath and continued. "I said yes and she said that if I was uncomfortable, I should leave, because I didn't belong there, especially during a time like 'this'. She also said that instead of trying to squirm my way into their tribe, that I should go chase after my own men."

Nora paced up and down. "Hmmm. So when she said 'a time like this', what was she referring to?"

"She was referring to what is called 'imprinting season' in La Push. Imprinting season has since been cancelled but it was the opportunity for women to get to know or get more involved, romantically, with the sons of the council members in La Push. The season implied that the women that the men chose would be with them long-term."

"Ahhh," Nora said, as if she was coming to a conclusion. "So when she told you to stop trying to 'squirm your way into _her_ tribe, she was referring to this imprinting season?"

"Objection. Leading," Bo declared.

"Sustained," the judge answered.

Nora quickly switched gears.

"Bella, can you tell the jury what happened the night of May 15th?"

"Well, I was at a diner with my boyfriend that night. When we walked outside to my car, we saw that it had been destroyed."

"Destroyed, how, Ms. Swan?"

"Well, my tires were slashed and there were scratches, dents, and words sprayed onto the windows and the doors."

"What words?"

Bella swallowed thickly. She went over this multiple times but to do it in front of the jury, the perpetrators, the lawyers, and her friends and family was a completely different task.

"The words 'n*gger' and 'pale face' were written multiple times. Also, the phrase 'Stay out of La Push' was spray painted on the front shield."

"The people ask that the judge admit Exhibit A into the evidence," Nora said as she grabbed a stack of pictures and displayed them to the jury. "These are pictures that were taken the night of the incident. They depict the damage and the cruel words that were written on Ms. Swan's car as a way to intimidate her and prevent her from returning to La Push." Nora put the pictures back on her desk and walked up to Bella. "Ms. Swan," she started, "who do you believe committed this disgraceful, act of hatred?"

"I believe it was committed by the defendants in this case."

"Objection!" It felt as if Bella's heart almost beat out of her chest. "There were no arrests made in that case, therefore my clients should not be held liable in the eyes of the court due to the suspicions of the victim."

"Sustained," the judge announced. "DA-"

"I will move on," Nora said quickly. "Bella, please inform the jury of what you saw in the house you were supposed to move into, the afternoon of June 13th."

Bella exhaled as she began to recall what she saw that day. "I bought my first home at the edge of Forks and I was excited to show it to my friends so we decided to meet there. I and three of my friends drove over to the house and got there before everyone else so we chose to head inside. When I unlocked the door," Bella said this and stopped for a moment to control her breathing. She knew that for now, although it was difficult, she needed to keep the tears at bay.

"It's okay, take your time," Nora said.

"When I unlocked the door, I was surprised to see the words on the wall. There was so much paint. It was black paint," she said as she looked at Nora. "And it had the same words that my car had the night it was damaged. The words were just a lot bigger this time. They took up more space – they took up all of the space on the white walls.

"There was also a lot of glass on the floor, from the broken windows. There was garbage all over the floor, too."

As she recounted the details, Nora walked to the jury and showed them the pictures. "The people would like Exhibit B to be admitted into the evidence," she said as she showed the photos.

"Were there any arrests in this case?"

"Yes," Bella confirmed. "There were two. Emily Wind and Serena Mitchell were arrested."

"Objection! That is a separate case-"

"Overruled," the judge said, in annoyance. "The case is relevant. You may continue."

"So these two women were arrested for painting the same words on your house that were painted on your car. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Bella nodded.

"So isn't it plausible to believe that they were the ones who did the damage to your car?"

Before she could respond, Bo opened his mouth. Before Bo could say anything, the judge banged her gavel. "I am getting quite tired of your 'objections', counselor. But, I do have to agree this time, unfortunately. Though the two instances are very similar, there were no arrests made in the first case. Besides, this case is not meant to prosecute the defendants for the first incident. Therefore, you should move on, DA Bates." Bo quickly shut his mouth with a smug smile.

Nora nodded. When she looked back towards Bella, her face quickly became somber. Bella took a deep breath because she knew just what was coming.

"Ms. Swan, what went through your head when you saw what was done to the place that was supposed to be your future home?"

Bella exhaled and shook her head. "I was scared. I mean, first my car, then my house – I wasn't sure where it would end – if it would ever end.

"I felt like those words were engraved not only on my car and my house, but on me, in me," Bella said, grasping at the area over her heart.

"I just knew I wouldn't be the same after seeing that. I would never feel the same about La Push, about myself, about anything." She felt the familiar burning at the back of her eyes and tried her hardest to vanquish it.

Nora nodded sympathetically. "But your house, that wasn't the end, was it?"

Bella sighed and shook her head before saying, "No." Bella really wished that she could end it on that note but knew that it wouldn't suffice. The air in the room seemed to shift and for the first time since the beginning of her testimony, she looked somewhere other than at Nora. Her first look was to the security standing at the door, but her eyes fought her and pulled her in a different direction. They instantly made contact with Paul and she knew she shouldn't have looked at him. She bit her lip as she watched him struggle to stay seated. Even from her seat at the stand, Bella could see the tremors rolling off of Paul as his hand tightly held on to the pew in front of him. She didn't quite realize how difficult it would be for Paul to be in such close vicinity to the women who did this to her. She couldn't imagine how awful it would be for him, for all of them to have to sit there and smell those four. She could see Paul taking deep breaths in her direction, and she could only guess that he was trying his hardest to focus on her smell amongst a room full of others.

Jake had a firm grip on Paul's shoulder, seemingly trying to keep him calm and collected, though Bella could tell it was difficult for him as well. The Alpha in him was exuding strength and dominance and for a moment, Bella was proud of who she saw sitting before her. She saw the future of La Push. He stared at her intently and she knew that he was trying to send her the strength that he held. He knew that she would need it. When she looked at Quil, she couldn't help but to crack a small smile as he gave her two thumbs up.

Her mother sat huddled close to Charlie, with a tissue in hand and unshed tears in her eyes. Charlie stroked Renee's shoulder as he looked encouragingly at his daughter.

Her eyes inevitably turned toward the defendants and the people sitting on their side. Out of the many people in the courtroom that day, only a few were sitting on that side. One of them was Detective Wind.

_He looked absolutely awful._

He looked sick to his stomach. He looked horrified. A part of Bella knew not only was it because of what his daughter and her friends did to her home and car, but because of the part of her testimony that was quickly approaching.

Then she looked at the women who she guessed were related to three of the defendants. One of them looked almost as horrified as Detective Wind did. Another looked indifferent. The last one looked worried.

Her eyes finally, inevitably, flickered over to the defendants who sat next to their lawyer.

Serena and Desiree had the audacity to look ashamed. Valerie looked indifferent – Bella guessed the women with the identical look on her face was related to her – and Emily just looked smug. _She just sat there with a smug look on her face._ Bella couldn't understand it. She faced a bleak future in prison and had the nerve to look at Bella like that?

"What happened in the early morning hours of July 6th, Ms. Swan?"

Bella quickly looked at Nora once again as she was jarred out of her thoughts. Her eyes automatically watered as she thought about her story. She cursed those eyes for betraying her. But she knew that if she got her point across, and got the jury to understand what this attack did to her, she would get the greatest result – justice. So if she had to cry, she was going to, no matter how weak it made her feel.

"I had just left my friend's house and I was on my way to my father's when I started pulling up to the edge of Forks and I passed my home. I was informed earlier that it was no longer a crime scene so I decided to go inside."

"Didn't you think it would be a little dangerous to return to the scene of that crime, especially so early – what time was it? Around two in the morning?" Nora interrupted.

Bella nodded and sighed. "Yes, it was around two o'clock. But honestly, I wasn't really thinking about the potential danger – I just wanted to be alone, to think. I was feeling pretty emotional that day and I just wanted to go back to what was supposed to be my home. I wasn't expecting anything bad to happen."

Nora nodded. "You may continue."

"So I was sitting inside, just thinking about things when the door slammed open. I jumped and when I looked up, I saw the defendants. I asked them what they were doing there and," Bella stopped a minute to laugh sadly, "they admired their work. The paint was still on the walls and they were happy about it."

Bella's voice shook as she struggled to remember what happened that morning. "They said that they knew it was a matter of time before I would return. So I pulled out my phone and threatened to call the police if they didn't leave. That made Emily angry because she said that I already got her and Serena arrested for what they did to my home. So Desiree knocked the phone out of my hand."

Nora nodded. "What happened, then?"

Bella exhaled and looked up to the ceiling. She really wanted this to end – reliving this was a lot more difficult than she thought it would be.

"She stood in my way when I went to retrieve the phone, so I pushed her. When I bent down to pick it up, Emily pushed me." By now, it was becoming difficult for Bella to talk through her tears. The memories kept flooding her mind and she couldn't avoid the feelings they conjured up.

"I knew I was outnumbered," Bella continued. "So I grabbed my phone and decided to leave. But as I was walking to the door," Bella paused as a sob escaped. "I felt one of them grab my hair," she said as she instinctively grabbed her hair. "Then she dragged me across the floor and I yelled, 'STOP!' but she didn't." Bella shook her head. "They didn't stop."

Nora handed her a tissue. "What happened next?"

Bella's breathing quickened as her story continued. "I screamed and I tried to hit them back but they grabbed my hands and my feet," she cried as she looked down at her hands. "And when I screamed they kicked me in the mouth," she yelled as she grabbed her mouth and cried. She looked down, ashamed and embarrassed that she had let her memories get the best of her emotions.

Nora rested her hand on Bella's shoulder. "Do you need a minute?"

"No," Bella looked up and shook her head. "I want to finish this."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Quil give her a tight-lipped smile.

"Do you remember what else happened?" Nora asked.

Bella took a couple of breaths and shook her head. "I just remember them kicking me," she said as she grabbed her stomach. "Punching me," she grabbed her face. "I remember crying and praying. Praying that I would get out of it alive. Praying that that wasn't the end for me – that I wasn't going to die that way," she said as the tears fell down her face.

"Where were you found, Ms. Swan?"

Bella's crying became all the more hysteric. "I was found in the trunk of Emily's car."

A collective gasp was heard from the jury. They knew the details of the case but hearing it from the victim, and seeing the effects of the attack in her eyes, in her actions, and in her tears was a completely different situation.

"I'm so sorry that this has happened to you, Ms. Swan," Nora said. "These women left you in the trunk of a car for how long?"

"I'm not sure, but it was for hours after it happened."

"Who found you?"

"A friend of mine," Bella said as her eyes found Quil's. He smiled sadly.

"If your friend had been just a little while later, what would have happened?"

"I would have died in that car," Bella said as she continued to look at Quil. His watery eyes reflected hers before Bella looked away.

"This must have had unbelievable repercussions for you, Ms. Swan. How long were you in the hospital?"

"For a little less than a month."

Nora walked back to her desk and picked up another set of photos. "The people ask that the judge admit Exhibit C into the evidence," she said as she showed the pictures to the jury. Bella heard many shallow gasps as their eyes flitted over the photos. For the first time, Bella looked directly at the jury. As Nora showed them the pictures, some looked away and chose not to view them. Others shook their heads and held their mouths in surprise and disgust. Others looked at Bella in shock – Bella wasn't sure if it was because of what she had been through or because she looked completely different than the woman they saw in the pictures. Other jurors looked on at her in sympathy.

"I can imagine that the stay in the hospital was difficult for you – both physically and emotionally." Bella nodded. "What had to be done to restore your health?"

"I had to have multiple reconstructive surgeries – not just for my face but for my jaw," Bella said as she grabbed her mouth once again. "I had to have brain surgery for the swelling."

"What about the emotional repercussions, Ms. Swan?"

Bella's eyes watered again when she remembered the emotional changes she experienced in the hospital and out.

"Um, I was extremely moody – one minute I'd be okay, but then the next I'd be so angry." She cried as she went into her explanation. "I'd pull my hair until my scalp bled, or I'd throw things or yell at people." She struggled to talk as the memories assaulted her. "And then other times I would go through these bouts of extreme depression. I still deal with it sometimes, and it bothers me because that's not like me. It's like I know that I'm acting irrationally but no matter what I do, I can't stop it. I can't control it."

Nora nodded at Bella's words. "I know that this is difficult for you to recall, Ms. Swan. Thank you for your bravery. I just have one more question. How did all of this change you, Bella? How did it change your thinking, your views? Not just the beating but everything – the car, the house. What did it do to you?"

After everything Bella had just gone through by recounting these tales, this last question was the one that really got to her. She bit her lip to try to control her sobs. She took a minute to breathe and calm down before responding.

"It made me question everything. It made me question my friends – whether or not they felt the same way about me that these girls did. If they just saw me as some half pale face, half n*gger girl." She laughed sarcastically and shook her head. "It made me scared to walk around in La Push. I spent the majority of my teenage years in Forks and La Push. But these three incidents," Bella paused as the effort to control her tears interrupted her speech. Her breaths kept coming out quickly as she tried to calm down. She held the tissue to her nose. She could hear other people sobbing in the background – people from the jury, and people from _both_ sides of the courtroom.

"Do you need a minute, Ms. Swan?" the judge asked, this time. Bella shook her head.

"It made me _so_ scared to live here," she continued. "I love it here. I love my family and my friends but I was so close to leaving because of what these girls did to me. All of the years of nasty comments and looks, with these incidents in addition, made me question myself. They made me question my worth, my strength, everything about myself. I wondered if I'd always be subjected to this if I decided to stay. I wondered if I'd always have to look over my shoulder in fear of another attack."

"What made you decide to stay?"

"My family," Bella said as she looked past Nora to her side of the courtroom. A tear-stricken Renee smiled at her. So did her father and the rest of her friends. "They made me realize that discrimination occurs everywhere, not just here. And that despite everything that's happened, I needed to be strong enough to stay and show everyone that they didn't break me."

Nora nodded and smiled proudly at Bella. "Thank you." She turned around and walked to her desk. "No further questions."

The judge nodded. "Well after this emotional testimony I think it would be best if we took a fifteen minute recess. We will reconvene and proceed with the cross-examination." With that, she banged her gavel.

Bella took a deep breath and quickly walked down from the stand. She walked out of the courtroom as an eager Paul followed her.

Renee wiped her face and as everyone stood, she once again made eyes with the women across the courtroom. She began to walk over when Charlie tried to stop her, "Renee, don't."

Charlie could never really stop Renee when she was determined.

She made her way over to them. "No wonder these girls grew up to be such witches. Look who birthed them."

"Renee," one of the women said, wistfully. "It's been a long time."

Renee chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Don't act like we're old friends. You guys are the ones who beat me so badly that I left. And you raised your daughters to do the same damn thing."

The woman who spoke before started to respond when another – who looked exactly like Emily—interrupted her with her laughter. "It's not our fault you didn't warn your daughter to stay away from La Push." She shrugged. "She got what was coming to her. I think it was inevitable, really."

Renee's anger was rolling off of her in waves. So Jake wasn't surprised when he saw her arm lifting. He was prepared.

"Whoa, whoa," he said as he rushed over and quickly grabbed Renee's arm. He pulled her away, leaving Charlie with the women. "Let's get you some more water," Charlie heard Jake saying as he pulled a struggling Renee with him. The girls' lawyer pulled Emily's mother to the side.

"Charlie," the woman who tried to speak before, said. "I…I didn't know it was your daughter."

Charlie shook his head and shrugged. "Would it have mattered who it was?"

She shook her head and tears filled her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Charlie. I'm so sorry that this happened to your family again. I know this may not mean much to you but I have to say it. All those years ago when the girls and I didn't go to prison – it was wrong. But I paid for it, Charlie. My family disowned me. I got fired from my job. The accusation was on my records so it took me a long time before I was able to find another one." She shook her head. "I know that's nothing compared to what you and your wife, and now your daughter went through but I have learned from my mistakes. I let those girls push me into attacking your wife and I will never forgive myself for being so weak. And I will never forgive myself for not seeing the warning signs in my Desiree. No one should have to go through what your wife and daughter have gone through because of us. I'm so sorry."

Charlie wanted to accept her apology; he really did. She looked so sincere. But he couldn't find it in himself. Maybe if this had come in a different situation – one where her daughter hadn't done the same thing to his – it would be easier. He nodded curtly.

"Thank you. But you shouldn't be apologizing to me," he said as he turned around and went to find Renee and Jacob.

Ten minutes later, the courtroom was full and Bella once again sat on the stand.

"Are you ready to cross-examine, counselor?" the judge asked as Bo wrote a few things down on his notepad.

"Yes, your honor," he said as he stood and walked up to Bella.

"I'm so sorry for what happened to you, Ms. Swan. No one should have to experience what you did."

She nodded as he continued.

"Earlier in your testimony, you mentioned that you experienced years of snide comments and looks. Did they only come from the defendants?"

Bella shook her head. "No. There were a few women around La Push who would say offensive things about me or give me bad looks."

"So isn't it possible that women other than the defendants were the ones who damaged your car?"

"Objection!" Nora shouted. "We're not here about that case."

"Sustained," the judge said. "Counselor, you cannot bring up the same line of questioning you objected to earlier. And I recall saying that we should move on from the previous cases. Don't do it again."

He nodded. He was starting to sweat under the pressure. He wasn't quite sure why his clients pleaded not guilty. To him, this was an open and shut case. He was an excellent lawyer, one of the best. But this case was clearly black and white. He was grasping at straws.

"Ms. Swan, what happened to you, the beating…isn't it the same thing that happened to your mother, twenty or so years ago?"

Bella heard a small gasp coming from the jurors. She sighed and nodded. "Yes, she was beaten also."

"Is it possible that the only reason you're blaming the defendants for your attack is because their mothers are the ones who attacked your mother?"

Bella's eyes widened, the jury gasped once again, and a loud roar could be heard from behind Bo.

"You son of a bitch!" Paul yelled as he shot up and tried to lunge at Bo. Fortunately for the lawyer, Paul was flanked by two strong men who held him back. They struggled, but they held him back.

"Order! Order!" the judge yelled as she banged the gavel. "If you do not sit down right now young man, you will be held in contempt of court!"

Paul continued to growl but when he took one look at Bella's pleading face, he slowly calmed down and allowed Quil and Jake to push him back into his seat.

The judge sighed. _Why the hell was he growling?_

"Answer the question, Ms. Swan."

"No, it's not possible. It isn't possible because I didn't find out about them being related until this morning, right before the trial started."

"Really? So your mother never told you that they were related? Not even when she went to the prison to intimidate Emily?"

Bella's eyes widened once again when Nora yelled, "Objection! The victim's mother is not on trial."

The judge sighed. "Overruled, but be careful, counselor. Just what are you trying to accomplish, here?"

"I'm just trying to get all of the facts here, judge. Why would your mother go to visit an incarcerated Emily?"

"Maybe because she was angry about Emily and her friends beating me up?"

"Or maybe it was because she was so angry that Emily's mother got away with beating her up that she went to threaten Emily because she was the closest thing to her real attacker! And maybe that's why these women," he exclaimed as he gestured toward the defendants, "are on trial today, because your mother's attackers were let off and these girls are the closest connections to them! Maybe this is just a way to punish your mother's attackers and not your real ones!"

"That's enough!" the judge yelled as she banged her gavel.

Bella looked on at the lawyer in confusion and alarm. _What the hell had her mother done?_

Renee looked at him in absolute horror.

_Damn._

* * *

**Okay people, I get all of my court "knowledge" from a friend and Law & Order: SVU, so don't sue me. Sue them!**

**Also, slight problem – I will be returning to school on the 26****th**** and I hope to finish the story before then. I know I agreed to write the outtake(s) so I'm really hoping that if I complete this before the 26****th**** I can get to them, but I can't make any promises. Reviews encourage me to write sooner so give me encouragement, people! :)  
**


	25. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

After her short re-cross examination, Bella stepped down from the stand and took her seat next to her mother.

"Sweetheart," Renee started.

Bella shook her head, silencing her tearful mother. Renee felt extremely guilty. She had no idea that one little visit to the bitch who led the attack against her daughter would backfire on them later down the line. All of the disbelieving looks she received in the courtroom proved it.

The mother and daughter sat in complete silence through the rest of the DA's witnesses' testimonies. The witnesses included Bella's doctor, who testified to the extent of Bella's injuries and the tough future she still faced due to the beating. Charlie and another officer also testified about what was found at the crime scenes, as well as the information they obtained from questioning the suspects and the witnesses: Vanessa and Quil. Of course, Vanessa was interviewed because of her admission that she witnessed the attack. Quil was put on the stand because he was the one who found Bella in the car. That was, undoubtedly, a very emotional testimony.

"So, Mr. Ateara," Nora began, "you were the one who found Ms. Swan. Is that correct?"

Quil nodded. "For the record, please, Mr. Ateara," Nora requested.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, sorry. Yes, I am the one who found her."

"How did you know to go to Ms. Wind's residence to search for Ms. Swan?"

Quil adjusted his tie uncomfortably. "Well once we concluded that Bella was missing, we all decided to search for her-"

"'We' being…?"

"My friends and Bella's father, Chief Swan."

Nora nodded, so he continued. "I wasn't really sure where to look so I just started driving around, looking for any clue. Then as I was walking I started to think about anyone who would want to harm her and the first person who came to mind was Emily, just because of the previous incidents and their encounter at the beach the first night Bella was back. I realized that I was making my way to Emily's house anyway so I continued walking that route. When I got there, my suspicions were confirmed."

Nora nodded. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, when I got there, I saw Emily's car. On the surface, nothing really looked off but I just got this feeling. So I moved as close as I could to the gate and when I looked closer," he stopped as he began to choke on his words. Quil had to hide how exactly he was able to find Bella – because of the enhanced smell and all – so the next part wasn't exactly true. But the emotions he experienced were.

Nora nodded again. "Take your time, Mr. Ateara. I know this has to be extremely difficult for you – to be the one who found your friend in such a dire condition."

Quil nodded. "Yeah, it was difficult. I've never seen anything like what happened to her. She looked completely different," Quil said as he got lost in his thoughts. He stared off into the distance and Bella felt a twinge of guilt as she watched him. She knew that what happened wasn't her fault but to see Quil struggling with it made her want to take those feelings away from him, just so he didn't have to deal with them anymore.

"Do you need a moment, Mr. Ateara?"

Quil cleared his throat again and shook his head. "Uh, when I looked closer, I saw hair…I saw a good amount of hair lying right outside of the trunk door. It seemed like it got caught in between the door and the trunk by accident. That's when I knew that she was inside."

Nora looked on at Quil sympathetically. "I know this part is going to be tough but can you tell me what you did next?"

Quil nodded. "As soon as I saw the hair I knew what I had to do. So, I hopped over the fence and went straight to the car. I was able to open up the trunk – I think it got stuck somewhere – and uh," Quil coughed. "Bella was lying there…she was lying in a pool of blood," Quil covered his mouth and closed his eyes as he remembered what he had been trying so hard to forget.

"She was unconscious. She was bruised. Her pulse was really weak. I thought about calling the police but I realized that taking her to the hospital was more important at the time. So I picked her up, put her in my car, and drove to Forks Hospital."

Of course, he couldn't tell the court that he ran all the way from the edge of La Push to Forks Hospital, so he had to throw in that little lie about the car. But in the scheme of things, it didn't matter much.

Nora nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Ateara. No further questions."

When Bo admitted that he had no questions for Quil, Quil walked off the stand and out of the courtroom. Bella was tempted to go after him but was interrupted by the judge.

"Well, this has definitely been a very long and emotionally trying day, so we will proceed with the defense's witnesses at 7:30 tomorrow morning," she said as she banged her gavel, signaling the end of the first day of trial.

It seemed like everyone stood with a collective sigh.

"Bella, I'm sorry," Renee said.

"Mom, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that this girl hurt my child and I wanted to confront her!"

"Well Mom, you shouldn't have done it!"

"Okay, okay," Charlie said as he made his way in between Bella and Renee. He didn't want this to force them into an argument – it wasn't worth it; Emily wasn't worth it.

"Honey, I know you're upset with your mother for doing that," Charlie turned to Renee, "which she shouldn't have," he said to Renee while she rolled her eyes. "But I don't think it'll have much weight in this case. With all of the evidence against the girls and all of the testimony today, I highly doubt the jury would even blame your mother for confronting Emily. Telling by the looks on their faces, I'd say they're completely on your side."

"So far."

"What do you mean 'so far'?" Charlie asked Bella.

"Well there are the other testimonies tomorrow. Who knows what other surprises the defense has up his sleeve?" Bella asked as she looked at her mother, who sighed dramatically.

"I highly doubt any of his surprises will be enough to get a not guilty verdict, sweetheart," Charlie said. "You need to have faith."

Bella sighed and nodded.

"Now let's all go get something to eat," Charlie said.

"Sue's already on it," Billy said as he rolled out of the courtroom. "She already cooked everything last night. All we have to do is heat it up!"

They heard a collective "Yeah!" from the wolves and everyone laughed. Paul and Bella looked at each other and she shook her head a little.

* * *

About half an hour after leaving the courtroom, Paul and Bella went to get something to eat before going to Bella's new home in Forks. It wasn't the one she purchased before. That one was fixed up for another family, and all of the furniture that the council bought for her was taken to this home in Forks. It was closer to Renee and Charlie than the other house was, which Bella was happy about.

They now lay in Bella's bed, Bella slightly on top of Paul, Paul's right arm around her shoulders, and his left and her right hands intertwined. Their breathing was calm, steady, and in sync as Paul's heat seeped into Bella's skin.

"I'm so proud of you, baby," Paul said as his right hand stroked her soft hair.

"Thank you. I was pretty proud of you until you went all crazy and tried to attack the defense."

Paul chuckled. "Sorry, beautiful. I was angry the whole time so when he accused you of lying I just went off. I promise I'll behave myself tomorrow."

"But tomorrow is going to be even more difficult, Paul. The testimonies will be from the defense's witnesses. If it's going to be too difficult for you, you probably shouldn't go."

"What?" Paul asked as he looked down at her. "You don't want me to go?"

She sat up and looked at him intently. "Of course I want you to go, Paul. I want you to be there but if it's going to be too hard for you, you shouldn't have to put yourself through that."

Paul looked up at her and smirked. He grabbed her face. "That's just like you – to be so worried about me when you should be the one fussed over."

Bella had a mischievous look in her eyes. "Well, it's also because I don't want you going crazy in the courtroom and blowing my case," she said as she twisted his nipple.

"Ouch, girl!" he exclaimed as he grabbed her hand and bit her finger.

"Ow, stoppp," she cried. He laughed and kissed her fingers gently.

"I'd never jeopardize your case, silly girl. I can control myself, and I will. Because I know you need me there and even if you didn't I'd still be there. I know I'm going to want to throttle those bitches tomorrow but as long as my girl is sitting next to me, I'll be okay. And I'll make sure that you are, too."

She blushed and smiled. "That was sweet…but, you still deserve to be punished for that little outburst today," Bella said as her face inched closer to his.

Paul smiled and licked his lips. "Oh yeah? How?"

Bella put her legs on either side of Paul and sat right above his crotch. "I," she started as she went into the drawer of her bedside table, "hold you," she said as she pulled out a pair of handcuffs, "in contempt of court, sir," she finished as she cuffed one of his wrists to her bed frame.

All that could be heard throughout that house for the rest of the evening were Paul and Bella's laughter and moans.

* * *

Paul's hand rubbed Bella's thigh continuously as they sat, as closely as possible, in the courtroom early the next morning. The courtroom wasn't full yet so they sat huddled together while Bella whispered in Paul's ear and kissed his blushing face. It wasn't often that he blushed so she took pride in her ability to make him do it, just with a few simple whispered words.

"Ewww, break it up, lovebirds," they heard as Leah slid into the pew next to Bella. "I thought Sam and I were supposed to be the ones all over each other."

"No, that's not until you're married and back from the honeymoon. Then after like a week, knowing you, you guys will be out of the honeymoon phase."

They all laughed as Leah plucked Bella's thigh. "Very funny."

"So, you guys ready for today?" Sam asked.

Bella nodded. "I got Paul to agree to behave himself." Paul grinned at the memory. "Yeah…"

Leah and Sam both rolled their eyes and shook their heads. "Gross," Leah murmured.

The courtroom began to fill quickly, and soon the second day of the trial began.

Unfortunately for the defense, the only witnesses he had were the defendants.

Serena and Desiree's testimonies went by with no problems – they were both extremely regretful. Valerie's testimony showed just how much she didn't really care about what she had done. She thought it would be fun and agreed to do it. Though they pled not guilty, all three admitted to their actions, which brought Bo to his wits end. The only person not admitting to anything was Emily.

"Ms. Wind, what happened the morning of July 6th?"

"My friends and I were driving around and we saw the lights on in Bella's house so we decided to stop by. She was in there alone and we started to taunt her about the words on the walls. Then, when she tried to leave, my friends attacked her."

Bella scoffed and Desiree shot up from her seat. "That's not true! She was in on it too!"

The judge banged her gavel. "Order, order! Counselor, control your client or she will be removed from the courtroom!"

Bo was able to placate Desiree enough to get her to take her seat, but she was still seething.

"What were you doing while the attack was occurring, Ms. Wind?"

"I was acting as the lookout. I didn't touch Bella."

Paul was trying his hardest to keep his control. If it weren't for Bella holding on to his arm tightly, he would leap over that stand, grab Emily, and pull her outside. He didn't believe in violence against women, so he would phase and let his wolf take care of her. His wolf didn't care about gender…well, except when it came to his mate, of course.

Bella wasn't having such a splendid time, either. She dug her nails into Paul's arm…she needed somewhere to take out her frustration. She couldn't believe that Emily was sitting on that stand, lying so boldly! Well, a part of her could believe it – a huge part, really.

With no further questions, Bo thanked Emily and took his seat.

"So, Ms. Wind," Nora started, "you acted solely as the lookout?"

"Yes ma'am," Emily replied.

"So your fellow defendants, the victim, and the witness to the crime, Vanessa Scott, are all lying?"

Emily nodded. "For the record," the judge said. "Yes, they are," Emily responded.

Nora nodded. "Okay, so if you weren't involved in the attack, how did Ms. Swan end up in the trunk of your car?"

"Well, Desiree took the keys from me and the three of them hauled her into the trunk. I drove the girls home and then went to my own home."

Bo had to prevent Desiree from standing back up. She was absolutely _furious._

Nora paced back and forth. "So let me get this straight. You, not having had anything to do with the attack, allowed the girls to put a bleeding, unconscious, and beaten Bella Swan into _your_ trunk, and then you just drove home and left her in there without calling the police or an ambulance?"

Emily nodded. "That is correct."

Nora laughed humorlessly. "You don't really expect us to believe that, do you? You want us to believe that you just stood back and watched, even though both Ms. Swan and Ms. Scott testified that you attacked Ms. Swan, and that Ms. Swan was found in your car?! You expect us to believe that you're innocent?"

"I didn't do anything wrong."

"What do you mean you didn't do anything wrong? Even if you didn't beat her up, you watched as your friends did, you allowed them to put an unconscious Bella Swan in your car, _and_ you left her in your trunk without saying a thing! How is that not wrong?"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!" Emily yelled, seemingly reaching her breaking point.

"You hate Ms. Swan, don't you, Emily? You hate her; you just hate that that outsider waltzed her way into your tribe and took one of your men, don't you?"

"Shut up," Emily said.

"You do hate her, correct? You hate that the man you so badly wanted didn't want you because he would much rather have Bella Swan! Isn't that true?"

"SHUT UP!" Emily yelled.

"He doesn't want you, Ms. Wind! He doesn't want you; he just wants that beautiful, mixed race young woman and that made you so angry! So damn angry that you had to beat her up, you had to try to _kill_ her so that she couldn't get a man from YOUR tribe!"

"YES! YES, OKAY? YES! I HATE HER! I hate her so much! That bitch took what belongs to US! She doesn't belong here; she never did! So yes, I beat her ass, and I _hoped_ to Taha Aki that we killed her!"

The whole courtroom was bustling with this revelation.

"Order in the courtroom! Order!" the judge yelled as she continuously banged her gavel.

"Why wasn't I good enough for him? Why wasn't one of _us_ good enough for him?! That bitch deserved everything she got! And I wish that she had died! Even more, I wish that her slut of a mother had died when my mom beat her ass, too!"

Gasps, shouts, and growls erupted around the courtroom, while Bella and Renee sat staring at Emily from their seats.

"Officers, remove the defendant!" the judge yelled as she banged her gavel over and over again.

Emily's voice could still be heard long after her unwilling departure.

After a minute, everyone calmed down. The judge sighed. "I think after that display, we need a fifteen minute recess." She banged the gavel once again. She was getting tired of doing that.

Bella was shocked still in her seat. Her heart raced and her body shook as she processed Emily's words. _She wanted to kill her. She wanted her dead._ Deep down, Bella knew that – it was obvious, otherwise Emily wouldn't have beaten her up – but to hear it, to see it, to _feel_ it in her intense outburst of honesty and sureness, conjured up a completely different feeling in Bella's bones. _Someone wanted her dead._

She felt Paul's shaking hand squeezing her own. "She can't hurt you anymore," he whispered. "Especially not as long as I am around."

Bella wanted to nod but couldn't find it in herself to do so. This was all just too much.

"Um, I'm going to go to the bathroom." She stood up.

"I'll go with you," Paul said as he stood as well.

Bella looked up at him weirdly. "Ummm, no." She left no room for argument. Leah smirked and followed behind her.

"I guess it's a done deal now," Jared said as he stared straight ahead.

Seth chuckled and agreed. "Yeah, she pretty much sealed her coffin, if it hadn't been sealed already."

"With an outburst like that, I don't see her getting out of jail anytime soon," Charlie added.

"I agree."

The remaining people on Bella's side of the room looked up to see Bo standing beside their seats. "Honestly, I'm not quite sure why they decided to plead guilty. And I know I'm supposed to be the enemy here, but I want to inform you guys that this case has disgusted me as much as I'm sure it has disgusted you," he stated.

Charlie nodded. He knew that Bo was a good guy, but he wasn't sure if he could forgive him so quickly for the way that he spoke to Bella the day before. "Thank you, Bo. I know you're just doing your job."

"It's unfortunate when my job is supposed to help people like Emily get away with their crimes. But I'm confident in the fact that the jury will put the defendants away for their vicious crimes. And quite frankly, I'm overjoyed about it."

The guys smelled the honesty on him. They nodded.

After the closing statements, the jury was released to make their decision. Because Charlie's place was the closest to the court, and they expected the jury to come to a decision rapidly, everyone retired there to get something to eat. Luckily, Renee had just gone grocery shopping so there was _nearly_ enough food for everyone. The ones who were still hungry went out to get something else to eat, leaving a few people and an empty fridge in the Swan's home.

Renee was fussing over the emptiness of their fridge as the others sat in the living room in front of the television. Bella felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Quil gesturing to go outside. Luckily, Paul was one of the ones who left to get something else to eat so there were no arguments or growling.

Quil and Bella walked side by side in silence.

"So how are you feeling?"

Bella shrugged. "Yesterday was difficult…so was today. It was more difficult than I thought it would be, of course, with that revelation that was made."

Quil nodded. "I can imagine. Look, I just wanted to talk to you about that. You know Emily is never going to be able to lay another hand on you, right? We're not going to let that happen again, ever."

Bella smiled up at Quil as they walked. "I know, Quil. And thank you, by the way."

"For what?"

"For being who you've been for me throughout this whole thing. Who would've thought, huh?"

Quil laughed. He knew exactly what she meant. "Yeah. Who would've thought?"

She smiled. "I hope that you're going to be okay, too. You know if you ever want to talk about it-"

Quil nodded. "Yeah, I know."

They smiled and walked in companionable silence until they heard rapid footsteps behind them. Before she could turn around, Bella yelled as she was lifted off of her feet.

"What's wrong with you, Quil? Trying to steal my best friend?"

"Oh please Jake, you know I'm about to jump ahead of you on Bella's friends list," Quil said with a wink. "Besides, I thought Em and I were your best friends," he said with a fake pout.

Jake laughed and pulled Bella closer until Paul grabbed her. "She's mine so both of you can back off," he said as he took off at a run back to Bella's place.

She laughed and screamed the whole way there.

After an early afternoon romp, or what the two decided to call, "an early afternoon freak off session", they returned to the court with a summoning call from Nora.

As soon as they walked into the courtroom, they got a number of sideways glances and smiles from the wolves.

"Hey, we didn't have time to shower," Paul said innocently as he and Bella took their seats.

The courtroom became completely quiet once the judge walked in and took her seat.

"Before we get to the verdict, I have something to say," she began. "Today we live in a day and age in which people would like to think that this is post-racial America – but there are cases like this one that show us that no matter how much we wish for a post-racial country, at this point, it is still out of our reach.

"Cases of such blatant hatred really test my patience as a judge. But then I remember that it is my job, as well as the jury's, to make sure that defendants like the ones we have seen in this case get the punishments they deserve." At this point, she turned her attention to the four perpetrators.

"I am simply disgusted by the actions you four took against this young woman because of your petty jealousy and prejudice. I have to say though, in light of the information released during the trial, I am not surprised that you guys turned out the way you did. It's a shame that the actions of your mothers' had to be repeated twenty or so years later by you. Your mothers set awful examples for you, but alas, that is no excuse. Although at least two of you expressed remorse, all four of you must face the same consequences for your horrific actions. You tried to _kill_ this young woman. You beat her up and then dumped her in the trunk of a car and left her there for hours. You showed blatant disregard for human life and because of that, there will be consequences you have to face." She turned her attention to Bella.

"Young lady, I am so sorry that you have had to endure this vicious attack. I am confident that the jury will make the right decision and ensure that you receive justice."

On that note, the judge ended her speech. "Jury, have you reached a verdict?"

The foreman stood. "Yes, your honor. On the count of attempted murder in the first degree, we, the jury, find the defendants: Emily Wind, Serena Mitchell, Valerie Fox, and Desiree Row guilty."

Gasps of shock, joy, and sadness went up around the courtroom as the decision rolled off of the foreman's tongue. Paul pulled Bella into his arms and she smiled softly into his warm, safe chest.


	26. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"So are you ready for tonight?" Leah asked as she and Bella looked through the menu for the wedding.

"As ready as I can be. It's a really short ceremony, isn't it?"

"Yep. I can't believe you and Paul are _finally_ getting it together."

Bella laughed a little. "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to wait until everything settled down before doing this."

"No, I mean _finally_. As in, this should have been done years ago."

Bella looked up at Leah. "What do you mean?"

"I knew you guys were meant the first time you laid eyes on each other. You two losers just couldn't get it together until now."

Bella rolled her eyes and looked back at the menu. "Oh please. I couldn't stand him. He was just a flirtatious bastard."

Leah laughed and shook her head. "That is very true. But with the way you guys looked at each other…there was no denying it. Only on your, Paul's, and Jake's parts."

Bella chuckled. "Well I'm happy we realized it. And I'm happy Jake has finally moved on."

Leah nodded. "Yeah, he's been seeing Hannah quite often lately, huh?"

"Yep. I hope things work out for them," Bella said as she stood up. "I need to go get ready. I'll see you tonight." The two women said their goodbyes as Bella walked out of the door.

Bella smiled as she got into her car. For the past few days, she had felt so light and so relieved. It had been some days since the girls were sentenced to twenty years a piece. Bella couldn't believe it when she heard it from the judge. She also couldn't believe the weight that had been lifted from her chest with the judge's words. A part of her felt _a little_ bad for Desiree and Serena, since they had admitted to their guilt, but that was a fleeting feeling. They knew exactly what they were doing so they deserved to be punished. They didn't care about how Bella felt when they were terrorizing her and beating her up so she shouldn't care how they would feel when they went to jail.

After the sentencing, Paul suggested that he and Bella celebrate by themselves. Of course, that was code for sex so they did that. They did that quite often. But then they decided that they would celebrate with everyone else by holding the imprinting ceremony. Bella was a little nervous, but she knew that she wanted to do it. Fortunately, no one else in La Push, except for Renee, Charlie, the council, the wolves, and the wolves' imprints knew about the ceremony. To everyone else, it would just look like a private party. But those in the know were aware of the significance of that party.

As Bella drove through the streets of La Push, she heard yelling. She got closer to the source of the ruckus and shook her head. _God, were they still going on with the riots because of the cancellation?_ _Man, it's a good thing they don't know about the ceremony that is going to take place tonight._ She saw a group of girls throwing rocks and yelling obscenities towards a small, yellow house. Bella shook her head. She was about to keep driving when she saw someone familiar running out of the house. "Oh my God," she said as her car slowly came to a stop in the street.

Bella opened the passenger side door and yelled, "Get in!" With no hesitation, the screaming and crying woman got into the car. Rocks were thrown at Bella's car as she sped away.

For a few minutes, the woman just cried and covered her face. Willing to wait until the woman was ready to speak, Bella kept driving towards Forks, but at a slower pace. Finally, the woman looked up.

"Than-," she started, but was quickly cut off when she realized just who had picked her up.

"Bella…?"

Bella nodded as she looked forward and continued to drive. "Is there anywhere I can drop you off?"

Bella could tell that the woman wanted to say something, but was too shocked. This whole situation felt oddly like an episode of the Twilight Zone – the 2002 version.

Bella looked at the woman again and she seemed to snap out of it. "Uh…," she began. "I'm not sure…I just know I need to get away from there."

"We should call the police. You know if you're not there, they're probably going to break in and destroy your place."

The woman sighed and returned her face to her hands as she began sobbing again. "I can't believe this. It's like my whole life has been blown to pieces, once again because of prejudice. And of course I have no one to blame but myself, again."

Bella didn't interrupt as the woman continued.

"My husband is currently out of town, so luckily he doesn't have to deal with this. But I wish he were here. Our baby is in jail and now our home is destroyed. I'm going to be outcast from La Push, _again_…which I know is my fault. And now you," she said as she looked up at Bella, "out of all people, are the one who's helping me."

Bella looked forward and pulled up to the closest diner in Forks. She wasn't quite sure how to respond to Desiree's mother's comments so she just said, "I guess you can call the police here. I can stay with you while you do it, if you'd like."

Bella didn't expect it, but the woman nodded her head.

A few minutes later, the two women were sitting in the diner. Despite her own mind's protests, Bella offered to get the woman something to drink when she realized just how torn up she was. Shit, Bella was human. And when another human was suffering, her soul noticed, no matter how much her mind didn't want it to.

"Hopefully the police get here soon," Bella said, to break the silence. When they learned that Desiree's mother was not at the scene, they agreed to evaluate the scene first and then pick her up at the diner to take her statement and hopefully escort her to her home. Bella was really hoping that they'd arrive quickly.

The woman nodded and looked closely at Bella. "You look so much like your mother."

Bella wasn't quite sure where this was going. She hoped she wasn't about to make conversation with her about familial resemblance because Bella was not in the mood to talk about it. At least, not with her. So she just nodded.

"Thank you for doing this. I know it must be difficult for you to be even remotely nice to me after what my daughter did to you. And after what I did to your mother."

Bella nodded once again. "You were in trouble. I'm not soulless so I opted to help, rather than leave you there to die."

The woman bristled when she got the double meaning from Bella's words. This was uncomfortable for her as well, but she would try to make the best of it.

"I know that this probably means nothing to you, but, I'm sorry. I am so sorry. I'm sorry for what I did to your mother and for what my Desiree did to you. Neither of you deserved to be beaten and left for dead."

Bella laughed humorlessly. "You say it as if it's just an everyday thing – 'Oh, you shouldn't have been left for dead, that day! My bad!'" Bella said, sarcastically. She was in the mood to help but she wasn't really in the mood to make nice.

The woman's eyes welled up with tears as she recognized the pain in the young woman's words. Bella put up a good front but there was no denying her anger and the woman knew she deserved every bit of it. So she just nodded and apologized.

The two sat silently for a few minutes and gazed out of the window. Bella looked down at her phone to text Paul. Desiree's mother broke the silence.

"You know, Emily and Valerie's mothers have left town. They were getting harassed, too. I don't expect you to feel sorry for them, but I just wanted you to know that you won't have to worry about them. I don't think they'll ever return here, except to visit their daughters."

Bella nodded. "Well, they should be in cells right next to their daughters but I guess if that's out of the question, I'm okay with not having to see them often."

The woman agreed. "We didn't get the punishment we deserved, but I think that this whole turn of events – you being attacked by our kids and our kids being put in jail – is the result of us not getting our punishment back then. We're living it now. Our punishment is being forced out of our homes, once again, but also knowing that our actions are what caused our daughters to do the same thing to you and be incarcerated for the majority of their lives. So even though it doesn't seem like it, we are getting our comeuppance, Bella. We are, everyday."

"Why are you telling me this? Is it because you want me to feel sorry for you?" Bella spat out her question in disgust.

"No, no," the woman was quick to correct her. "I don't want that at all. I just want you to gain just a little bit of comfort in knowing that we're all being penalized for what happened over all of these years, in one way or another. You don't ever have to worry about any of us hurting your family again. You get to enjoy your life, Bella – something that our daughters won't be able to do. And you shouldn't feel guilty for it because it was their, and our, doing that got them to where they are right now."

Bella definitely didn't feel guilty. Instead of responding, she just looked out of the window.

She sighed when the police finally pulled up to the diner. The women stood up. "Thank you, once again, Bella. You didn't have to do this but you showed how gracious and mature you are by helping me when I needed it. Your mother should be very proud of you."

Bella nodded awkwardly. "She is."

The woman nodded and gave Bella a tentative smile before walking outside. Bella watched her and plopped back down onto her seat. _Why did she have to be so damn nice?_

Twenty minutes later, Bella was walking into her home. Paul came waltzing out of the kitchen with a pie in his hands.

"Hey babe, what errands did you have to run?"

She sat on the couch before he walked over and gave her a kiss.

"I ran into Desiree's mother."

He stopped eating abruptly. "What? What did that bitch do to you?" His face reddened and Bella noticed the tell-tale shaking.

"Paul, just calm down. She didn't do anything to me. People were doing stuff to her, actually."

"What do you mean?" he asked as he began to calm down.

"I was driving back from Leah and Sam's when I saw people throwing rocks and garbage at her house. She came running out and I let her into my car. I drove her to a diner here in Forks and waited with her until the police showed up."

Paul looked at her questioningly. "You helped her?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah. Don't get me wrong. We're not 'buddy, buddy' or anything, but I just couldn't let her get attacked like that…," Bella trailed off. She couldn't find it in herself to finish the sentence. Paul understood why.

He put his pie down onto the coffee table and pulled Bella into his arms. He kissed her forehead softly.

"I'm so proud of you, baby. You're almost too good to be true."

Bella closed her eyes and let his words and his warmth overwhelm her. It felt good to be in Paul's arms. It also felt good to hear those words coming out of his mouth. So despite her feelings towards the women who beat her and her mother up, Bella knew that she had done the right thing.

* * *

Bella scratched herself all over as she sat in Leah's car. "I cannot wait to get this off," she murmured as she fidgeted in her seat.

Leah laughed. "It's traditional. You have to wear it throughout the ceremony. But then afterwards, Paul can take it off…" She trailed off when she looked in the rearview mirror and saw Renee's raised eyebrow. "Or after you guys get married, he can take it off."

The women laughed. Bella continued to scratch herself. She was wearing the traditional grass skirt that imprints had to wear during the ceremony. On her upper body, she was wearing a tan, spaghetti-strapped tribal shirt that had all types of shapes and warriors on it. Most notably, there was a wolf in the middle of the shirt. Original. But what really grated Bella's nerves were the feathered cuffs that were bound around her upper arms. They were rather itchy, but Bella figured that they were essential because they probably represented her being bound to Paul forever. Besides, it was okay because she and Paul were quite familiar with cuffs and their significance.

Leah pulled up to First Beach. It was around 8 p.m. so it was dark outside, except for the light that originated from the flames of the bonfire. As the women stepped out of the car, the gentle wind whipped around their bodies, bringing with it the scent of the food and the fire. There was already a large group of people chatting around the fire. All of the conversation stopped when Bella, Leah, and Renee arrived. Renee and Leah joined the group, but Bella walked up to Paul, who was standing with Billy and Old Quil.

Paul grabbed both of her hands and leaned down to lay a gentle kiss on her waiting lips. "Are you ready for this, Swan?"

She nodded and smiled up at him. "Yeah, I am."

"Good, because I wasn't going to let you back out either way." On that note, the two stood before Billy.

"We are here tonight to celebrate the binding of two souls, those of Paul Lahote's and Isabella Swan's. This binding, unfortunately, comes after a great deal of adversity. But the fact that these two young lovers were able to stay together despite the hostility they faced because of their love just proves further how much their souls have already connected. This ceremony is merely an acknowledgement of the binding that has undoubtedly already occurred between the two."

Billy wheeled toward the flames and picked up two sticks, then placed the tips of them into the fire. He handed one to Bella, one to Paul, and pointed to two logs that were placed side by side in front of Old Quil. Paul grabbed Bella's free hand and they walked over to the logs. Bella took her stick and lit the end of Paul's log while Paul did the same to Bella's. Old Quil began a prayer in Quileute while Billy continued to speak.

"As Bella's fire lights Paul's log and Bella's log is lit by Paul's fire, Old Quil's prayer will ensure Taha Aki's blessing of the convergence of these two souls."

Everything was quiet, except for the sound of the waves and the gentle chanting coming from Old Quil's mouth. Old Quil grabbed Paul and Bella's hands and held them together tightly with his own. Paul stared at Bella as she watched the logs in awe. Even when she was so obviously trying not to scratch herself in the traditional garb, she was the most beautiful thing Paul had ever seen. And as the flames from the surrounding fires illuminated her smooth skin, Paul got goose bumps.

_This was it._

Old Quil was silent for a minute. When he opened his eyes and smiled, everyone knew it had been done.

Applause and shouting broke out from the crowd. Billy smiled and held his hand up, commanding silence. "Taha Aki blesses your imprint bond. It's a bond that shall never be broken. Cherish it. Treasure it. Keep it close to your hearts because from now on, you guys are stuck with each other."

Everyone laughed. With that, the party began.

The music was loud, the drinks were flowing, and so was the conversation. Paul was bragging about snagging Bella despite her resistance. Bella was just laughing and shaking her head. Jake pulled her to the side.

"Want to take a walk?"

She nodded. "Sure."

The two felt the sand beneath their feet as they walked along the beach and away from the bonfire.

"So, is Hannah treating you right?"

Jake chuckled as he thought about the tan-skinned, long-haired beauty waiting for him back at the bonfire.

"Oh yeah. She is. We've only been seeing each other for the past month or so but I like her a lot. She reminds me a little bit of you, to be honest."

Bella laughed a little. "Man, can you imagine how different things would be if you and I had gotten together?"

Jake smiled widely. "Pretty different. Good, but different. But I'm happy I met Hannah. She's amazing."

"You deserve someone amazing. And I approve, which is what really matters."

Jake laughed and put her in a gentle headlock before kissing her forehead. "So you and Paul, huh?"

Bella nodded. "Me and Paul. We finally did it. I kind of feel like I just jumped the broom."

Jake grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, in wolf standards you kind of did. But you guys can wait until a later date to make it really official."

"So are you really okay with this? With me and Paul?"

Jake nodded and pulled her closer. "I'm pretty sure we were together in another life so I'll let Paul have you in this one. Besides, Hannah is great so I'm happy."

Bella smiled and leaned into Jake. "That's all I want for you."

The two continued to trail the beach in silence, until Jake broke it.

"So, I heard about you helping Desiree's mom out today."

"Oh yeah?"

Jake nodded. "Yep. My dad told me about everything that happened. The girls broke into her house and stole a lot of her things. They also pretty much trashed the place."

Bella sighed and looked towards the sky. "When is this going to end?"

Jacob shook his head. "I don't know, Bells."

She sighed and stopped walking. "We should head back. I don't want my newly imprinted wolf to freak out and attack you."

Jake smiled as they turned around and headed back the way they came. "I could take him."

A few hours later, the beach was starting to clear. Most of the adults had made their way home, save for Billy, who was waiting for Jake.

"You ready to go home, Swan?"

Bella nodded. "But first, I need to speak with Billy."

* * *

The next day, Bella woke up in Paul's bed, feeling refreshed. But she still had something on her mind. There was one last thing that she needed to do before she could feel especially relieved.

Bella stretched and yawned as she felt Paul stir behind her. He tried to pull her back down. "Go back to sleep."

She smiled and rubbed his face. "Nuh uh, you know what I have to do today."

He sighed and sat up next to her, rubbing his eyes. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Are you sure you want to do it?"

Bella nodded. "I have to. I think it'll make a difference."

Paul nodded and moved her hair behind her ear. "I'm proud of you, sweetheart."

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm proud of myself, too."

About an hour later, the council room was filling up with many people – people from Forks, from La Push, and news reporters from the state of Washington.

Bella was shaking and all of the wolves in the room could sense her nerves.

"Baby," Paul said as he sat next to her on the stage. "You know how we did the whole imprinting thing last night?"

She nodded.

"Well, now that it's official, my wolf gets antsy as hell whenever something is wrong with you. So you need to calm down, okay?"

Bella sighed and turned towards him, away from the crowd that she was staring at. "I'm trying, Paul. It's just, I've never done anything like this before! I'm freaking out!"

Paul nodded and stroked her face. "I'm right here with you, babe. Just relax and say what you need to say. You'll be fine, and if not, I'm right behind you."

Bella grabbed his hand. "I know. Thank you."

He smiled and leaned in to gently peck her lips.

The room became silent when Billy rolled up beside the podium. "Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for coming on such short notice. This press conference has been called to acknowledge multiple disturbing events that have taken place in La Push for the past several months. Disappointment is a severe understatement for what I, as the chief of this town, and as a plain old inhabitant of it, feel when thinking about what our town has been experiencing these last few months.

"But this conference actually has not been called for _me_ to speak on this subject. A young lady very close to my family requested that this conference be set so that she could acknowledge the issues that have been plaguing our community. This young lady was the victim of the hate crimes that were committed recently. She had her car and her house vandalized, and on top of that, she was brutally attacked by four women from the La Push community. She was extremely brave to have called this conference despite the trauma she has experienced, so I ask you to welcome her, respect her, and hold all questions until she has completed her speech. Now, I introduce you to Isabella Swan."

Bella stood up and Paul stood behind her. As she walked to the podium, she expected people to applaud her but then she realized that this wasn't a social call. She shook under the glare from the cameras. She fidgeted every time she heard the loud click of a camera.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us today. I asked Chief Black to call this conference because of not only what happened to me, but because of something I witnessed yesterday afternoon.

"As I was driving through La Push, I came across some young ladies who were harassing the mother of one of my attackers. They were shouting obscenities at her, throwing objects toward her home, and seemingly trying to lure her outside so that they could further harass her. Instead of joining in on the assault, I drove the woman to safety. Not only did I do it because it was the right thing to do, I did it because all of this needs to come to an end. What happened to me should not be an excuse to harass or attack anybody else. All of the violence should have ended with me, but instead, it only led to a whole host of other violent acts.

"All of the looting, the fires, the robberies, the vandalizing – that is _not_ the appropriate response to a hate crime, or to the cancellation of a long-standing tradition. Our anger should not be expressed in such a way that allows us to hurt others. There is no excuse for what those girls did to me and there is _no_ excuse for what some of you are doing to this community.

"This is _your_ town. Do you really want it to be destroyed because of your anger towards these girls? They've already damaged my life and my views, so don't let them damage yours. Instead of allowing your anger to overwhelm you and drive your actions, take it and allow it to manifest into something positive – into fighting hate crimes, into raising your children to accept differences rather than discriminate. What happened to me should not be your reason to act out of control. It should be even more of a reason to treat the people around you with respect.

"I know that I'll never forget what happened to me. It has forever changed me and the way that I view things. But it doesn't have to change you. Besides the few prejudice people I have encountered, the people in this town have never been extremely cruel. Don't let their actions cause you to become cruel. Don't let what they did to me destroy what was always so great about this town: the love, the respect, and the warmth. Don't let them take that away from you and your families. Don't let them destroy the community that you built. The current reaction isn't resolving anything. All it's doing is creating a hostile environment for not only us, but for our children. Don't let them grow up and view this as an appropriate reaction. Set an example. Set the _right_ example."

With that said, Bella stepped off of the podium and walked down the aisle of the room. She heard the applause and the questions as she passed by but didn't stop walking until she opened the doors and stepped out into the fresh air.

She took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. She had finally let go of all of the weight that had been plaguing her for those past few weeks. She knew that everything that happened wasn't her fault, but when she heard about people destroying the town because of their anger, or when she saw people attack Desiree's mother, she couldn't help but feel like it was her duty to do something about it. It started with her and she wanted it to end with her. And she felt like this was the beginning of the end of the destruction that had come to La Push because of those girls and their prejudice.

Bella finally felt free.

* * *

The wind caressed Bella's skin as she held on tightly to Paul. Her up-do allowed him access to her skin without having her hair in the way. Their bodies moved gently and slowly to the music.

"Did I already tell you how fucking sexy you look in this dress?"

Bella smiled against his chest. "Yes."

"It's so hot, babe," he said as his hand trailed up and down the material of the nude-colored dress. It was sleeveless, flowing, and knee-length. It was the style that Bella had chosen for Leah's bridesmaids.

It was a lovely May evening and the sun was setting while the guests danced. Leah looked stunning in her long, white dress. It was simple – exactly how Leah liked it. Sam couldn't keep his hands or eyes off of her as they danced closely.

"I know, honey. That's why I chose it."

"You have good taste."

"I know."

Paul's hands rested right above her ass as they continued to sway. Charlie was only a few feet away, dancing with Renee, so he didn't want to be completely inappropriate.

"So when are we getting married?" Paul asked.

"Never."

"What about this time next year?"

"Okay," she responded. Paul smiled.

"How long have we been together?"

"Ummm," he said. "Wow, about a year."

"Eww. We're so old," she complained.

He laughed. "You're old, baby, which is why you're lucky I snatched you up when I did."

She giggled against his chest and kissed it softly. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"You want to get out of here?" he asked. She nodded and grabbed his hand. They said goodbye to everyone as they slowly walked back to what had become Paul and Bella's home.

Paul wrapped his arm around Bella as they strolled past all of the newly built houses and stores. Bella smiled when she thought about the part that she undoubtedly had in that reconstruction.

Bella played with the hand that was on her shoulder while Paul's other hand played with something deep in his pocket.

When they walked back to their place, Paul pulled Bella over to their backyard. She tried to bite back a smile when she saw the small, yellow Christmas lights hanging off of the trees her mother had planted. She blushed when she saw the bouquet of flowers that lay in the middle of the blanket that was spread across the grass.

"This is why you didn't want me to come out here earlier."

Paul chuckled and scratched his face. "Yeah…it's not much, but…"

Bella smiled and rubbed his cheek. "It's beautiful."

She led him over to the blanket and sat down. Paul reached up and grabbed one of the tiny flowers that grew on one of the trees. He sat down and put it in Bella's hair. He stared at her as she smelled the bouquet of flowers that he had placed on the blanket.

"So you know how you said we could get married this time next year?"

Bella nodded.

"Did you mean it?"

She opened her eyes and looked up at him from behind the flowers. "I meant it," she whispered.

He licked his lips and kept his eyes locked on hers while his hand, which had remained in his pocket, finally emerged. He opened up the small box. Bella hid her huge smile behind the flowers.

"I hope you like it."

She put the flowers down and grabbed the box to inspect the ring, even though she knew she didn't need to.

"I love it, Paul."

His cheeks were red as he took the box from her. He took the ring out of it and allowed his shaking hand to place it on hers.

They both smiled as they looked up at each other. They saw the future in each other's eyes.

Bella didn't really expect Paul to ask her. It wasn't really who he was, and she was okay with that. She knew that he loved her.

And as he leaned in to kiss her, Bella knew that she had made the right decisions. She made the right decision to stay, and she made the right decision to choose Paul.

And as they lay back and made love amidst the flowers and under the stars, Bella knew that no matter what happened, wherever Paul was—whether it was La Push, New York, _wherever_—it was exactly where she wanted and needed to be.

* * *

**Okay, that's the end. I want to thank all of you who have read, added this story to your favorites and alerts, but **_**especially**_** to those of you who have reviewed faithfully. You guys are the ones who kept me writing when I didn't really care to. Reviews are very important to an author, and you guys realize that, so thank YOU!**

**I'd really love to write the outtakes – this is going to be a rather busy week for me but it is possible that I will be able to write a little something. Now, God-willing, if I am still alive and well by Thanksgiving or Christmas break (you never know, right?) I WILL be writing these outtakes! I hoped to write them this summer but time just got away from me. But if life allows it, I will be returning to write the outtakes…I'll still be around, reading as always, on the site so you can remind me as much as you want to, haha. So if you have this story on alert, hopefully one random day you will get an email telling you that there has been a new chapter.**

**And, one last time, if the story has been deleted on here, you can find it on Jacob Black N Pack. My username is October Skies.**

**Thanks!**


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